KAMLOOPS – A battle of two teams in the thick of the playoff race lived up to its billing on Saturday, but it was the Manitoba Bisons who made the clutch plays late, securing a 73-66 win and a weekend sweep over the Thompson Rivers WolfPack at the Tournament Capital Centre.
The two-pronged attack of fourth-year guard Rashawn Browne and third-year forward James Wagner led the Herd, as they each scored 16 points. Browne also had seven assists and four rebounds, while Wagner had five boards.
"We had guys make some big plays," said Bisons head coach Kirby Schepp. "I thought Rashawn Browne really stepped up late. We had the ball in his hands lot. He made smart plays, found open people and made a couple open jump shots. Throughout the game, James Wagner was really solid, [too]."
Excited by their Senior's Night, where they paid off their lone fifth-year Derek Rhodes, the home WolfPack came out firing on Saturday. They led 20-11 after a quarter thanks to a fiery start from Tyus DeVries, as the guard scored his team's first eight points — on his way to 15 in the game.
Manitoba answered back in the second with the help of Wagner, who had 11 of his 16 points in that one quarter. Overall, the Bisons struggled on offence in the first half, though, shooting just 37.5%.
That story changed in the second half, as the Herd would dominate the third quarter. Costly turnovers for the WolfPack turned into Bisons points on the other end, as Browne cashed in eight points in the third, a frame Manitoba would win 25-17.
With the game tied at 63 with 2:31 left, the Bisons buckled down on defence and forced the WolfPack into missed shots, ending the game on a 10-3 run. Manitoba shot an outstanding 56.3% in the second half, scoring 40 points in the paint total compared to 28 for Thompson Rivers.
"TRU [was] very physical, they are a very-well coached team and they were certainly not going to make it easy," said Schepp. "We had to play our absolute best tonight."
Rhodes led the WolfPack with 15 points in his final home game, matching DeVries' output for the team-high.
Manitoba improves to 9-9 with the win, as they look ahead to their final weekend of the regular season against the University of Winnipeg Wesmen. The home-and-home series starts downtown at the Duckworth Centre, as the two teams meet for the 28th annual Duckworth Challenge on Thursday, January 31 at 8 p.m. The rematch will be on home court for Manitoba, as a Saturday, February 2 tip goes at 3 p.m.
Thompson Rivers falls to 6-12 with the loss and out of the playoff race. They'll finish their season on the road in Calgary.
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