WINNIPEG – The Manitoba Bisons held the defending Canada West champion and national finalist Calgary Dinos off the board over a nine-minute span that began at the end of the first half, showcasing suffocating defence and excellent balance in a 66-59 win at IGAC.
 
It's the fourth time dating back to last season that Manitoba has held a Canada West opponent under 60 points. The victory improved Manitoba's record to 5-4, while Calgary fell to 5-5.
 
Daren Watts finished with a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Brandt Lenz – starting for a second consecutive game with Mason Kraus injured – drained 15 points, while adding six assists and five rebounds.
 
Four different Bisons had at least five rebounds, while the hosts were relentless in their pressure for all four quarters in a complete team effort. Calgary was led by 20 points from Hayden Franson.
 
"I think it was all about intention. We went in with the intention of getting into people and pressuring them," said Lenz of the Herd's trademark defensive intensity.
 
"We knew that we could pressure their guards a bit, so it was about getting into people and making it difficult for them to run their stuff."
 
Thirteen different players scored in the first quarter in a fast-paced affair. The Dinos led by four, with 14 of their 22 points coming in the paint. Eli Djordjevic and Martynas Sabaliauskas combined to go four-for-five from the field for eight points for Calgary, including a clean-up double from the former to end the quarter.
 
Manitoba earned 12 of their 18 in the first off threes, demonstrating great ball movement against Calgary's zone defence. Watts led all Bisons with six points, including two triples, while Lenz and Samuel Jensen also cashed from distance.
 
The hosts out-scored Calgary 19-5 in the second, allowing just two buckets nearly eight minutes apart with rock-solid defence. The Herd prevented the Dinos from driving north-south, with the likes of Lenz, Watts, Cieran O'Hara, Manyang Tong, Ramogi Nyagudi and Tito Obasoto providing enormous pressure at the top of the perimeter.
 
Offensively, the hosts nailed four more triples thanks to great facilitation. Obasoto and Lenz combined for six assists, consistently beating the Dinos' press to find open players from beyond the arc.
 
Watts had a mini five-point run including a corner three on an Obasoto dish, while Nyagudi sunk two threes, including one with a man in his face. Nyagudi's second three came off a great find from Watts, who led all players with 12 points, four rebounds and an assist at the break.
 
"We knew they were going to play zone, so there was definitely a lot of work on preparing for that," added Lenz.
 
"With Mason out, I was playing point guard more, so just trying to fit into that role. Everyone else adjusted around that. We knew once we spaced out their zone, we could get by those first defenders, and once we got inside it sort of opened up. Taking it off the dribble after a swing, it just really opened things up inside."
 
Manitoba didn't allow a bucket for over nine minutes dating back to the end of the second, continuing the frustrate the visitors with their pressure as the third quarter progressed.
 
The Herd led by as much as 22 at 47-27, with O'Hara contributing a steal and Tong adding a block. On the glass, Watts grabbed three rebounds in succession at one point, with the Miles Mac grad driving and kicking to Obasoto for a three to cap the run.
 
But the Dinos pushed back, narrowing Manitoba's lead to ten thanks to a 7-0 run in the final minutes of the third. Defensively, the Dinos' forwards crashed the paint, forcing tough looks, and offensively, last night's hero Franson was key with four points, while Kace Archuleta had a steal, assist and dunk to end the quarter.
 
A Franson three, followed by a Mrigendra Dhaliwal triple cut Manitoba's lead to four with 30 seconds left, but the hosts showed great composure late to secure the win, cutting time off the clock and making smart decisions. They ended the game with multiple looks from the free throw line.
 
Manitoba was clutch in key moments earlier in the frame as well, with Lenz draining a deep two off the back board at the end of the shot clock to begin the frame, while also finding O'Hara for a bucket off an in-bound with just one second on the shot clock.
 
"On the first one, the shot clock was coming down and I came off a screen. We didn't get anything, there was a switch. I knew I had to get it up, I threw it up to see what would happen and banked it in," chuckled Lenz.
 
"On the play on the baseline, with one second it pretty much has to be a lob or a quick shot. I saw Cieran cutting down the middle and threw it up, and he went and got it."
 
Manitoba concludes their first half schedule on December 5^th at home at 8 pm against cross-town rival, 6-3 Winnipeg. The two teams are separated by just one game for third in Canada West's Prairie Division, with Alberta and Mount Royal – who the Bisons face in the second half of the season – both at the top of the standings with eight wins. demonstrating the parity in the conference.
 
"Building off this win, one more win would be good before Christmas. It's always fun to play Winnipeg," said Lenz. "There's good crowds, good energy."