WINNIPEG – Sixteen different players hit the score sheet on Saturday at IGAC as the Manitoba Bisons and Mount Royal Cougars put on a show during seniors night. The Cougars won the rebounding battle 47-30, scoring 28 points in the paint to secure the 90-78 win.
 
Nora Luca recorded her second straight double-double against Manitoba in the victory, with 16 points and ten rebounds. Overall, five different MRU players had at least six rebounds, while Jenika Martens led the Cougars with 18 points.
 
In their final game at IGAC, Bisons seniors Autumn Agar and Emerson Martin showed out. Martin recorded 16 points including three tripes, while Agar had 11 points, a team-leading seven rebounds and three steals.
 
Rookie Paige Schatkowsky led Manitoba with a career-high 20 points, with half of her points coming in the first quarter.
 
The Bisons led 26-25 after ten, thanks in part to Schatkowsky's efforts. She hit back-to-back threes at the end of the quarter, while Manitoba had seven steals overall.
 
Mount Royal flipped a close game in their favour towards the end of the first half.
 
Using speed in transition, five different players recorded an assist, leading to an 8-0 run in the final minute, and a 48-42 halftime lead. A Presley Hopf dish to Winnipeg native Asha Donnelly started the MRU push, and they kept their momentum going in the second half.
 
The Cougars went on an 11-3 run in the first five minutes of the third, and Manitoba didn't get any closer than seven afterwards.
 
Luca scored five points in a row to start the second half, picking up multiple rebounds and finishing inside.
 
Manitoba kept battling despite the deficit. A well executed trap resulted in numerous MRU turnovers throughout the contest, as four different Bisons recorded three steals.
 
Emily Mandamin, one of four Bisons who finished in double figures, tied her career best with 35 made threes on the year, and concluded the contest shooting 50 percent from distance. She added three steals, finding Agar multiple times for buckets.
 
But in the end, the depth of the Cougars, and their spirited play on the glass made the difference. Senior Maddy Hooper had two important triples late for the visitors, sealing the double-digit win.
 
Both teams are still headed to the post-season. Manitoba at 7-13 will travel to Fraser Valley to face Calgary in a play-in game while Mount Royal will travel to face Trinity Western, with the winner facing UBC in their gym the next day.