WINNIPEG – Fighting for their playoff lives, the 6-12 UBCO Heat gave No. 8 nationally ranked Manitoba a handful, but in the end, the scrappy Bisons were able to pull off the win, improving to 12-7 with an 83-78 win on Friday night at IGAC.
 
If Manitoba sweeps UBCO tomorrow, they will earn a first round by for the Canada West playoff tournament hosted at IGAC February 21-25.
 
The Heat fell to 6-13, and are mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.  
 
Manitoba led by as much as 15 at 34-19 early in the second quarter, but the Heat battled back, going shot for shot with the Herd in a physical affair that saw a combined five technical fouls.
 
UBCO tied the game at 41 with two minutes to go in the first half, and it was a track meet from there in an up-tempo contest. Both sides played aggressive man defence, with a combined 24 steals between to two sides, while neither team led by more than six after the Heat tied the game.
 
Heat guard Jalen Shirley scored 14 of his game-high 26 points in the second quarter during UBCO's comeback, but he only registered six in the second half after Bisons head coach Kirby Schepp switched Mason Kraus onto him.
 
The nation's back-to-back steals leader led the game with four, and added 13 points and four rebounds, while UBCO point guard Hafith Moallin added to his 169 career steals with three of his own along with 16 points, while five different Heat players scored in double figures overall.
 
Offensively, Daren Watts led the way with 21 points for the Herd, while Simon Hildebrandt added seven points and four assists in 19 minutes, showing heart by stepping up despite a lower body injury suffered against Winnipeg last weekend.
 
The play of the game occurred with five minutes to go, courtesy of Kraus.
 
Shirley stole the ball away during a Bisons possession and tossed it to a wide open Moallin, who appeared to have a wide open layup. Kraus had other ideas, racing back on defence to block Moallin's shot against the glass.
 
It was one of a career high four blocks in the game for the Bisons' guard (fourth most in a game in program history), who's made similar plays his entire career, including in a six-point comeback in the final minute last year on the road against Brandon.
 
The Heat were up by one at 71-70 at the time, and they got a three shortly after from Gavin Ashworth, but the Bisons would out-score UBCO 13-4 in the final four minutes, using Kraus' block as momentum.

"I'm just a competitor. I'm always going to go for it," said Kraus.

"[Moallin] is a smaller guard going into the lane. I know I'm fast, athletic and could chase him down. I've done it many times. I knew we needed momentum, and we ended up getting points out of it. I think I'm the Defensive Player of the Year, so I got to put it out there and make my case."

A Kraus layup tied the game with 3:13 to go, and five points in the next two minutes from Watts helped to secure a late lead and eventual win for the Bisons.
 
Both teams will play again tomorrow at 7 pm.