WINNIPEG – A 7-0 run by Manitoba in the final two-and-a-half minutes made the difference in a back-and-forth battle against cross-town rival Winnipeg on Thursday night. Tied at 66, fourth-year forward Emerson Martin scored a contested double under the basket, followed by two Mar Tomas Arbos buckets and a free throw, securing the Herd a 73-66 victory at the Duckworth Centre in downtown Winnipeg.
 
The victory was the Bisons' first in regular season play against Winnipeg since January of 2008, and also gave them a 2-0 lead in the 32nd annual Duckworth Challenge. It's was the squad's ninth career win over the Wesmen in the challenge.
 
Both school's volleyball teams will compete Friday night to earn the right to hoist the Duckworth trophy. Manitoba holds the all-time lead at 18-13.
 
"It's super exciting," said Martin of the Duckworth win. "I've been on this team for a while, finally seeing some success [against Winnipeg], I'm thrilled to be a part of it. We're fighting for a playoff spot, so having a win in-season, it's what we need right now."
 
Manitoba's record is now 5-12, as is Winnipeg's. Saturday's rematch at 2 pm on Manitoba's home court will have heavy playoff implications, with the two teams battling for the 12th and final spot in the post-season.
 
Martin finished with 20 points, along with eight rebounds and two assists to earn Player of the Game honours, while Bisons point guard Lauren Bartlett tied her career high with 11 assists, and also had four points, two steals and four rebounds, while Mar Tomas Arbos scored a season-high 11 points.
 
Winnipeg got 17 points from Player of the Game Jazmin Birch, including two threes, while Raia Guinto had 16.
 
The Herd led 13-12 after ten, thanks to five steals, two from Bartlett. Both sides battled to find an answer to the opposition's zone defence, while Winnipeg struggled to finish in the paint, missing their first six shots.  
 
The action picked up in the second, with both teams combining for five triples along with 13 total steals entering the break.
 
Manitoba led by as much as eight, thanks to a no-look pass from Bartlett to Emily Mandamin with three minutes to go, but the Wesmen answered from distance.
 
Birch scored ten of her game-high 17 in the second, including a late three along with a successful free throw on the ensuing possession to tie the game, however Manitoba took the sixth and final lead change entering the half thanks to a Talia Peters three.
 
 The see-saw battle for momentum continued in the third, with seven lead changes.
 
Winnipeg opened with a 5-0 run, including a layup from Carmen Hiebert, but Martin's second three made it 35 all three minutes in.
 
Martin continued her mini run with another bucket, as she shot five-for-seven from the field in the opening 15 minutes of play.
 
A Tana Layton three, followed by a steal and score boosted Winnipeg into the lead, but once again the Herd had an answer, as a Mandamin triple midway through the frame gave the visitors a 46-43 lead.
 
But that's when Raya Guinto came alive, with the lethal scorer putting up 11 of her 16 points in the third. She had a steal in the quarter and was a challenge in transition as the Wesmen went on an 8-2 run to end the third, leading 56-52.
 
Winnipeg led by as much as six in the fourth, at 60-54, but Manitoba kept their foot on the gas pedal, distributing the ball well, while getting into the paint successfully, which helped open other elements of their game.
 
Tomas Arbos went on a 5-0 run early, and her ability to get on the glass (eight rebounds), along with Anna Miko, who had six rebounds and nine points, and Emily Johnson, who had eight boards and nine points, was key.
 
Johnson tied the game at 66 on a free throw, which set the stage for a wild two minutes.
 
Layton was fouled shooting a three, giving her three chances at the line, but she missed them all. The Bisons proceeded to take the lead for good, with Martin somehow finding a bucket despite Hiebert being draped all over her underneath the basket.
 
Shortly after, Bartlett threaded the needle on a highlight-reel, one-handed sidearm toss to Tomas Arbos, who laid it up and in during the Herd's 7-0 run to seal the victory.
 
"Lauren made some pretty passes at the end. I also think Mar had a great game getting baskets. We were just able to pull away. There were a few game-changing moments from a few players," said Martin.
 
"We knew it was going to be a fight no matter what. We had to fight the whole time. We were trading baskets back and forth for most of the game, but we kept talking on the bench, saying we have to pull away right now. We executed and we did that."