In a foul-filled battle of Canada West rivals, the #2 UBC Thunderbirds fought back to narrowly defeat the Manitoba Bisons 75-72 in men's basketball at War Memorial Gym on Saturday, November 19.

Although it was tied after the first quarter, the Thunderbirds went into halftime down 34-27 and down a guard, with A.J. Holloway in the locker room after being ejected on his second technical foul. 

With Holloway out and Jalalpoor in foul trouble, UBC Head Coach Kevin Hanson called upon rookie guard Isaiah Familia to carry the load. 

Conor Morgan was assessed his fourth foul and was forced to sit with 4:27 left in the third as Manitoba held a 47-39 lead.

Although he only put up five points on the night, Will Ondrik's lone three-ball was the go-ahead tally to give his T-Birds a 52-50 edge over the Bisons near the end of the third quarter. Ondrik was big on the boards for the 'Birds, snatching a team-high eight rebounds.  Familia was fouled from beyond the arc a minute into the final frame, and hit two of his three foul shots to extend the lead to 58-50. 

As Manitoba began to mounting their late-game comeback, Jordan Jensen-Whyte came off the bench to score eight of his 16 points in the final nine minutes, adding two steals and two rebounds. Morgan also re-entered the game with 4:41 remaining, and with the 'Birds up 71-70, pulled down a crucial offensive rebound – getting fouled in the process. 

Morgan made both free throws with nine seconds left on the clock. The Bisons lost possession and fouled Jalalpoor, who sealed the deal with two free throws of his own. With three steals, five rebounds and five points in a season-high 27 minutes of action, Familia made an impact. 

Manitoba was led by co-captain AJ Basi with 17 points and game-high nine steals. Bison co-captain Justus Alleyn added 15 points and three rebounds while Keith Omoerah finished with 13 points and six boards. The Bisns were 7-16 (43.8%) from the three-point arc.

UBC improved to 4-0 in the early stages of the U Sport season and will head to Victoria next weekend for a home-and-home series with the Vikes. Manitoba will return home to host Alberta on Nov. 25-26 weekend.