KAMLOOPS – Despite getting off to a slower start than the night before, the Manitoba Bisons rallied behind third-year guard Taylor Randall again in the second half, beating the Thompson Rivers WolfPack 86-68 on Saturday at the Tournament Capital Centre.
Randall led all scorers with 22 points, also adding six rebounds and six assists. Fifth-year forward Claire Harvey also had an excellent performance, finishing with 17 points, nine rebounds (five offensive), and two blocks.
 "We had great flow on offence tonight," said Bisons head coach Michele Sung.
"In the past, we let that dictate our play, but we kept the ball moving and I was happy about. We found different ways to score when our initial individual looks weren't there. We kind of grinded it out a little bit in a sense, but credit to them, [TRU's] offence was flowing tonight."
The WolfPack fought hard after losing by 25 on Friday, fired up by their Senior's Night on home court. A key three-pointer from Michelle Bos tied the game at 19 after one quarter.
Manitoba came out firing in the second quarter, though, dialling up ten points in the point and four threes in the frame. The run was led by fourth-year forward Emma Thompson, who made all four threes she put up, as the Bisons went into the break leading 50-36. Thompson would finish with 16 points.
After winning the second 30-17, Manitoba dialled up the pressure in the second half. Their defence once again forced Thompson Rivers to taper off late, as the home side shot 35.7% from the field after halftime compared to Manitoba's 48.5%.
The leading scorer for Thompson Rivers was Kanesha Reeves, who had 19 points on 17 shots. Leilani Carney and Emily Vilac scored 11 a piece.
The win improves Manitoba to 8-10, as they'll conclude their regular season next weekend with an all-important home-and-home against the University of Winnipeg Wesmen. The first game will go at the Duckworth Centre at 6 p.m. on Thursday, January 31 — a game that also counts toward the 28th annual Duckworth Challenge.
The cross-town rivals will then meet at 1 p.m. on Saturday, February 2 at Investors Group Athletic Centre.
Thompson Rivers falls to 4-14 with the loss, as they'll finish their regular season on the road at Calgary on February 1-2.
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