With seven players in their third or fourth season of eligibility, the time to win is now for the women's basketball program. 
 
It starts with point guard Lauren Bartlett, who enters her final year with the Herd at the top of, our approaching many program records. She leads the Bisons in career assists per game (4.6), as well as minutes per game (33.4), and she's also second in program history in steals per game (2.8).
 
Surrounding her are veterans such as Emerson Martin (228 career points, 97 boards), Emily Johnson (319 career points, 233 rebounds), Autumn Agar (396 career points, 274 rebounds) and Mar Tomas Arbos (103 total points, 36 steals last year). 
 
"I would say overall it's just been such a great experience playing on this team. From day one I've really enjoyed going to practice with this group. I played with a lot of these people almost my whole life," mentioned Bartlett. 
 
"Emerson and Emily, we've all played together for so long. To be able to enjoy our university experiences together has been pretty awesome. I will always be a Bison."
 
"We really talked about the now, and how every day we want to come in here, get the work done and never take anything for granted," added Martin. 
 
"You always want to be in the moment. That resonates with our team. We are looking to win here right from the start, and I think our pre-season is going to lead up into some good wins. We had a good pre-season. We're looking to get it done."
 
Injuries and other factors resulted in the Herd essentially rolling a different rotation in every one of their nine pre-season games. The team went 6-3, including their first victory over the Winnipeg Wesmen in 31 contests to cap things off. 
 
In that game, local product Treyah Paquette – one of many key additions along with names like Anna Miko and Emily Mandamin – put up 19 points on five-of-six shooting from distance. 
 
Miko added eight points, and had double digits in multiple showings, while Mandamin scored 34 points in the team's final four pre-season games. The sharp-shooting Ayva Khan has also found her groove, including 24 points in the last four pre-season games. Overall, the Bisons have been rolling 12 deep with a roster that can get it done in the clutch.
 
Paquette is a transfer from the University of Regina, where she was a two-sport standout. An injury sidelined her during last year, but she's back and looking better than ever for her local team. 
 
"[Paquette] has been a really great addition to the team. We wanted her to come to the U of M last year, but we'll take her this year," chuckled Bartlett. 
 
"I'm glad she's playing with us. She's a great guard with really good basketball IQ. She's really good to play with on the floor. Hitting those shots is really important. Not everyone has to have their best game, but we have lots of players who can really step up when needed."
 
Martin added that Miko – a long forward at 6'1" – is "fun to play against because it gives me a bit of a challenge in practice." 
 
"With her, she's come in and really filled in. She plays good defence. We have this one zone, and she's the girl. We only run this one zone with her at the top. She just gets stops and steals. She can also score for us."
 
In Manitoba's locker room is a poster that reads "Horns Up." The group, in collaboration with head coach Michele Sung came up with a mantra for every letter. It's what levels them, and will be a constant all year as they aim for a deep playoff run, which starts this Thursday at 6 pm against Brandon. Click here for tickets. 
 
"We say it before every practice. It's always up in the team room," said Bartlett. 
 
"The H is Heart, then Opportunistic, Relentless, Now, Supportive, United and Purposeful."