WINNIPEG – With first place on the line on Friday night at IGAC between Winnipeg and Manitoba, the most competitive basketball rivalry in the Canada West conference once again lived up to the hype.
Down 60-57 with 37.4 seconds to play, fifth-year Winnipeg guard Shawn Maranan sunk a three-pointer and was fouled on his approach, giving his side a 61-60 lead following a successful make on the free throw attempt.
Manitoba had two attempts to tie the game, but were unable to level the score, as the No. 3 nationally ranked Wesmen once again broke the hearts of Bisons fans with a 62-60 victory in front of a sell-out crowd of 3,300.
The scene was eerily similar to the instant classic from two years prior in the Canada West semi-finals, where the visitors survived in the final seconds in a one-score game to get to nationals.
Maranan finished with a game-high 22 points, 11 of which occurred in the final ten minutes. He played a team-best 37 minutes, while both team's starting five all logged at least 23 minutes.
Lamar Everd had a critical rebound on Manitoba's ensuing possession following the Maranan four-point play, one of six on the day while adding 16 points. He was sent to the free throw line, but missed his second shot.
Winnipeg's Ryan Luke grabbed the board but missed both shots, with
Mason Kraus elevating for the rebound. The veteran guard brought the ball up court with eight seconds to go, but his three-pointer to win didn't go.
It was another gritty battle between the two best defensive teams in Canada West. Kraus recorded six steals, one shy of his career high, while the two sides combined for 23 steals overall.
Winnipeg never led by more than three, while Manitoba burst to their biggest lead of ten, at 30-20 in the second quarter following a Kraus steal and step-back three. Kraus finished with 18 points for the Bisons, while
Daren Watts added 15, and
Cieran O'Hara, fourth in Canada West with 9.1 rebounds per game, grabbed 11.
And while O'Hara, Kraus, Watts and
Manyang Tong all had at least six rebounds for the Bisons, the conference's best offensive rebounding team responded.
The Wesmen had 12 o-boards compared to five for Manitoba, and veteran Donald Stewart had a game-high 13 rebounds overall for Winnipeg.
Sam Jensen provided depth scoring off the bench for the Bisons, with his six points coming on back-to-back threes early in the fourth but Maranan answered with five points in a row to give Winnipeg a 57-54 lead with two minutes to play.
A Watts mid-range jumper with Maranan in his face shifted momentum back to the hosts, as they took a 60-57 lead into the final minute, but that's when Maranan played hero.
On the following Winnipeg possession, he went give-and-go quickly, throwing up a three with a man in his face that went, plus the foul.
Winnipeg now has a two-win edge over the Bisons, at 13-2 in the standings, while Manitoba fell to 11-4. They're firmly in a playoff spot in third, but their chances of hosting a playoff series were significantly affected.
The rematch goes tomorrow at Winnipeg at 7 pm as the Bisons attempt to win the season series.
