EDMONTON – The Manitoba Bisons raced out to an early 20-4 lead, hanging on for an 81-61 Canada West quarterfinal win over the Victoria Vikes, Saturday afternoon at Saville Community Sports Centre.
Manitoba led 26-8 after the opening quarter, with first team Canada West All-Star Rashawn Browne pouring in eight of his game-high 21 points in the opening ten minutes.
With the win, the Bisons advance to the Canada West semifinal, as they will play the winner of the Alberta vs. Lethbridge quarterfinal tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. MT.
"Rashawn was awesome today. Fifth-year senior and an all-star, and he looked like it today," said Bisons head coach Kirby Schepp. "He led us in every way, not just scoring the ball, but also finding others. His leadership was outstanding."
Keiran Zziwa added 16 for the Bisons on 5-of-11 shooting, with Cameron O'Hara scoring 15.
Matthew Ellis led Victoria with a 13-point, 15-rebound double-double, while Hayden Lejeune also added 13 points.
The Bisons used a 15-0 run midway through the first to jump ahead big, leading by 18 after the first quarter.
Victoria pushed back in the second quarter, using a 12-4 run of their own to trim the Bisons lead down to just seven. Manitoba hit a couple shots late in the second, and took a 38-27 lead into the break.
"The start is what really hurt us. We opened this game really slow, and just chasing Manitoba," said Vikes head coach Craig Beaucamp. "We had a few runs in the second and third, but you basically have to play perfect after trailing like that. They are a good team, and when you chase, you also give up some easy buckets, which we did."
Victoria outscored Manitoba 20-17 in the third quarter, which included a late 9-0 run, trimming the Bison lead down to nine.
Manitoba came out strong in the fourth, hitting a pair of early threes, with Browne also adding five more points in the fourth quarter. Manitoba outscored Victoria 26-14 in the fourth, taking the quarter-final by 20.
"I was really happy with our energy level. Anytime you can get a week off, it really helps you get rested, and we got a bit more time to prep and scout, which helped us a lot," continued Schepp.
"Victoria is too good and too well coached to go away. We knew they would push us, and they started to get physical on us in the middle of that game. The last run of the game was ours, which was the difference."
The Bisons will look to book their trip to the Canada West Final and the U SPORTS Final 8 tomorrow with a win in the conference semifinal, which is set for 2:00 p.m. MT at Saville.
