WINNIPEG – Separated by one spot in the U SPORTS Top 10, the No. 10 Manitoba Bisons (12-1) edged out the No. 9 Saskatchewan Huskies (9-4) 75-72 in a highlight reel finish at Investors Group Athletic Centre on Saturday afternoon.
Tied at 72 with 14.3 seconds remaining, Bisons guard Keiran Zziwa dribbled to the top of the three-point line, fired the ball with two Huskies defenders close by, and banked in a game-winning shot as time expired and his teammates mobbed him in ecstasy.
"We wanted the last shot and for them not to have a chance, so I dribbled out the clock a bit, and got a little bit of luck," said Zziwa postgame. "That's the first one like that, I've hit a couple game-winning layups, but that's the highlight."
"We shot at the right time, and the basketball gods were shining on us," said Bisons head coach Kirby Schepp.
Saturday's contest was a true Prairie battle — there were 14 lead changes, both teams lost a starter to injury (Rashawn Browne, Manitoba and Kessler Bishop, Saskatchewan), and the game was even stopped to clean some snow off the ball.
"We had to adjust a few things offensively, play through a couple of other guys," said Schepp about Browne's absence.
Forward Andre Arruda led all Manitoba scorers with a career-high 24, nailing 6-of-10 three-pointers.
"Andre Arruda was huge… he's been a tremendous player for us, he saw what we needed there and stepped up and made a couple of big buckets," said Schepp.
Forward James Wagner added 21 points and nine rebounds for Manitoba. Saskatchewan guard JT Robinson led all scorers with 25 points, shooting 100 percent on six free throw attempts.
Three-point shooting was the glaring difference in otherwise a tight game. Manitoba connected on 11-of-20 shots, while Saskatchewan struggled from beyond the arc, shooting 2-for-19.
With the win, Manitoba moves into a tie for second in the Canada West standings.
"It's one of those situations where if either team can get two (wins) this weekend, it'll make a huge difference in the end of the year in terms of seeding," said Schepp.
The Bisons will host the Huskies again tomorrow, tipping off at 2 p.m.
