WINNIPEG – Forward Manyang Tong scored 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, helping the No. 9 nationally ranked Manitoba Bisons come from behind late to beat Alberta 88-82 in OT.
 
It's the second time in the last three weekends that the Herd have won a game in OT, after doing the same against Brandon on the road two Fridays ago. The win keeps the Bisons at the top of Canada West's Prairie Division, at 11-2. Alberta fell to 4-9 but are still in a playoff position entering tomorrow's rematch.

"At the end of the day, you're starting from scratch in overtime, 0-0. When that ball goes back up, and OT starts, everything that happened those past four quarter quarters doesn't matter. You have to lock in and do whatever it takes to win those next five minutes," said Tong.

"It really just prepares us for the playoffs. A lot of these games are going to come down to the wire. We've really been battle-tested almost every single game. Yeah, a lot of those games we've done it to ourselves. We were up by almost 20 and they came back. A lot of these issues are self-inflicted, but at the end of the day, we really understand how to win."
 
Down by as much as 19 with 4:47 to go in the third, the Golden Bears fought back. On the strength of career nights from rookies Nash Semeniuk and Kyle Varner (27 and 22 points, respectively), the visitors out-scored Manitoba 17-2 to close out the third, and took a 63-62 lead with five minutes to go after Caiden Kushnir found Varner cutting to the basket for a layup.
 
Shortly after, the Golden Bears took a 66-62 lead following a triple from Varner. Perimeter shooting was the story during the U of A's run, as they broke Manitoba's smothering press with great ball movement.
 
Varner and Semeniuk combined to shoot 5-for-9 from three during the third and fourth quarter, including three triples in quick succession from the latter at the end of the third.
 
Alberta also won the battle on the glass, scooping up 47 boards, led by Ethan Egert's 12. A long Golden Bears roster used their size to create quite a few second chance opportunities, with five different players recording at least five rebounds.
 
But like they've done all year, the gritty Bisons didn't go away. A Brandt Lenz triple, one of 15 on the day for the Herd, tied the game at 68 with 1:38 to go. The three came moments after Tong sunk a perimeter shot off the backboard and in to cut into Alberta's lead. Barac Thon also had three triples for the Bisons, and finished with a career-high 12 points.
 
Semeniuk cashed a mid-range floater out of a Golden Bears timeout to give his side a 70-68 lead with 32 seconds to go, setting up utter bedlam to conclude the contest.
 
Guard Mason Kraus, who finished with 16 points and a game-high four steals, got to the line on the following possession, but missed one of his free throws. That forced Manitoba to foul Alberta, putting Egert at the line with 14 seconds to play.
 
Egert hit his first free throw, but missed the second. A mad scramble then ensued.
 
Fahad Yusuf scooped up the loose basketball for Alberta, but his shot didn't fall from close range. He got his hands on the rebound, but Manitoba's Daren Watts showed incredible heart, staying with the play to ensure his hands also remained on the basketball despite jumping from an odd angle.
 
Cieran O'Hara also fought to keep his hands on the ball, earning Manitoba the chance to tie the game with 11 seconds left, as the hosts had the possession arrow.

O'Hara, Tong and Watts all displayed incredible character and fight in the fourth quarter and OT. Playing with four fouls each, they maintained relentless defensive intensity, helping the hosts battle back.

"You just have to be really careful. It's risky, because you want to play as hard defensively as you can, but you have to be careful. You really have to think about every decision you're making. It's harder, but it makes you more focused on every single thing that you're doing," Watts said of playing hard late with four fouls.

"In a way it makes you more locked in. I'm glad that no one got fouled out. I was concerned, because they got the offensive board off the free throw. That's like the worst case scenario. Luckily [Yusuf] missed and I tried to keep my hand on the top of the ball and they called jump ball. Luckily the jump ball was for us."
 
Out of a timeout, Tong was given the ball. The set play out of the side out was not designed for him, but he saw an opportunity in a one-on-one situation and beat his defender, finishing with a smooth kiss off the glass with his vintage left hand drive to tie the game at 71.

"I'm not going to lie, the play was not for me. Realistically the ball went inside to me, but I was supposed to come off and hand it off to a guard or whatever," admitted Tong.

"I felt the big was playing me really tight, and [Alberta] understood that the play was to get it to the point guard, so I knew realistically this was my advantage. I faked that I was going to hand the ball off, but then I saw the open lane down hill. There was so much chaos going around up top. That was my only chance to get it to the rim. I took the chance and thankfully I got the layup."
 
Alberta had two early leads in overtime, as Varner and Semeniuk both sunk shots, but Manitoba had the answer, with their veterans stepping up big.
 
Kraus tied the game following a turnover and layup, and Tong gave the hosts the lead for good following a fast-break opportunity that led to a successful free throw.
 
Kraus pulled clutch right after, sinking a corner three with a man in his face to give Manitoba a 79-75 lead with 2:21 to play. He then stole the ball on the following Alberta possession, and one offensive series after, he found a streaking Watts who finished with an emphatic two-hand dunk.

"In that, I was just thinking jump as soon as I can," said Watts.

"When I see a transition dunk like that, I just have to make sure that I jump before the defender. They're less likely to block it. I jumped from as far as I could and luckily it went in. It was lit."
 
Tong added five more points late, negating any attempt at a Golden Bears comeback, as the hosts took the six-point victory.
 
Both teams play again tomorrow at 7 pm.