Box Score Lethbridge – The Lethbridge Pronghorns were able to get pass their closely matched opponents, the Manitoba Bisons on Friday, January 22 night, winning by a score of 96-74 in men's basketball.
Rob Olsen led the way for the 'Horns, scoring 30 points, while Brandon Brine chipped in with 27. The Bisons were led by Justus Alleyn, who drained 21.
The first quarter saw the Bisons promptly drop a three pointer, but after the opening jitters settled down, the 'Horns took over, finishing the quarter leading 20-11. Olsen and Brine lead the way for the 'Horns, scoring 8 and 6 points, respectively. The Bisons were lead Alleyn, who dropped 6 points.
In the second quarter, a similar story was told, as the Bisons came out shooting early, but the 'Horns were able to weather the storm, and continue to score points consistently. Olsen added 7 more points, and Brine added 8 to his 6 first quarter total.
Lethbridge shot 45.5% from the field, while the Bisons only shot 31.7%. The 'Horns owned the rebound side of the half, too, edging the Bisons 27-20, and took a 42-31 lead to the dressing room.
The home side picked up where they left off in the first half, and blew the game open in the third quarter. Brine and Olsen just kept dropping buckets, and helped their 'Horns widen the lead to 69-50 to end the quarter.
The 'Horns didn't let their foot off the gas in fourth quarter either, as they did not give the Bisons a chance to get themselves back into the game. Brine and Olsen mixed in some attractive plays for the fans that came out, and finished the night with 27 and 30 points, respectively. When the final buzzer sounded, the 'Horns came out on top in every critical category. They shot 50.7% from the field, while the Bisons were only successful 37.5% of the time. The 'Horns out-rebounded the Bisons as well, 47-38. And, most importantly, they walked away with the 96-74 win.
The win improves Lethbridge record to 7-4 as they continue to look to move up the Canada West standings and into a home playoff spot. The loss drops the Bisons to 8-5.
The 'Horns and Bisons will clash again tomorrow, 7 p.m. CT at 1st Choice Savings Centre. The game will be available on canadawest.tv.
