The University of Manitoba Bisons (3-2) wrapped up their short week with a sweep of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies (1-5), picking up an 87-80 victory to extend a winning streak over the Huskies to six, dating back to the 2022-23 season.
 
It took a little while for the Bisons to get going, as the Huskies jumped out to a 16-6 lead in the first 4:26 on 6-for-9 shooting. Following a Cieran O'Hara layup, a timeout by the Herd, and a Tito Obasoto three, the Huskies looked to weather the storm with a five-point run of their own from Mohamad Mahadhi and Easton Thimm, but the Bisons would respond with two thunderous dunks from O'Hara and Daren Watts and another layup by O'Hara. A late tip drill sequence came up empty for the Herd, as the Huskies would hold a 23-17 lead after 10 minutes.

"Every time we go on a run, it starts with a good couple stops in a row. That's what gets us in transition and gets our rhythm going," Watts commented post-game. "When we're at our best, we're connected. Everyone's on the same page – you just know what your teammate's going to do."
 
A back-and-forth second quarter would eventually lead to a 41-41 tie at the half, with the Bisons led by Ramogi Nyagudi's eight points, going two-for-two from outside the arc, and Samuel Jensen's perfect quarter, going three-for-three with one from deep for seven. Mohamad Jabateh led the Huskies after 20 with 11 points on four-of-five including one three-pointer, while Easton Thimm would continue his conference-leading rebounding, leading the half with seven to go with seven points.
 
Another back-and-forth affair in the third quarter, as neither team would stretch a lead beyond five until the final 1:15 with Daren Watts draining his first three of the game for a 63-56 lead. However, a layup by Mahadhi, followed by a Mason Kraus offensive foul would lead to an Emmanuel Bonsu three, cutting the Bison lead to two, 63-61 after the third stanza.

Watts: "We didn't have a full quarter of our best defence, but when we locked in, you could see what we're capable of."
 
Bonsu would tie the game up in the fourth, sandwiching five points around a Watts three in the first couple minutes. A couple more quick Huskie baskets would lead to a Bison timeout, waking up Watts, who would splash back-to-back triples from Kraus for a 72-70 lead. The Huskies wouldn't be shaken, as they would follow a Manyang Tong three with a couple layups of their own from Jabateh and Thimm to close the gap to 75-74. However, this would be as close as the game would get, as Kraus, Watts and Tong would combine for the Herd's final 12 points, limiting the Huskies to two late baskets for the 87-80 final.

"It all came from picking up our defence in the fourth. A few stops in a row changed the whole game," added Watts. "The biggest thing now is trying to stretch those great defensive spurts and make them last longer."
 
Four Bison starters reached double-digits with Daren Watts sharing a game-high 21 points on 7-for-14 shooting, including 4-for-6 from three-point range to go with five rebounds and four assists, first-year Ramogi Nyagudi had an efficient 17 points, including 4-for-5 from distance, along with six rebounds in 19 minutes, Mason Kraus fell one assist shy of a double-double with 14 points and nine assists while Cieran O'Hara completed his own double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. As a team, the Herd cashed in from three at a 56.5% clip (13-for-23), also matching their season-high with 22 assists.
 
For the Huskies, Mohamed Jabateh also led the way with a game-high 21 points on a tidy 8-for-10 shooting with a perfect 3-for-3 from three, Emmanuel Bonsu cashed in 19 points and seven rebounds, while Easton Thimm shared an 8-for-10 shooting rate in an 18 point, 14 rebound double-double, giving the team a 49.2% shooting rate (31-for-63).
 
The Bisons head on the road next week to face the Lethbridge Pronghorns before their bye week, while the Huskies take their bye week before looking to right the ship, hosting the UBC Thunderbirds on Nov. 21. Next home action for the Bisons comes on Nov. 28 against the Calgary Dinos.

"This week, we'll dive into film on Lethbridge and figure out what we've got to do to get that win," finished Watts.