WINNIPEG – For the second time in the last three years, the Bisons men's basketball team (16-4 in regular season play) are heading to the Canada West semi-finals, with a trip to nationals up for grabs. Daren Watts scored the go-ahead three with 3:04 to go, and the Herd held on from there, surviving a scare against the 10-10 Thompson Rivers Wolfpack, 70-67 at IGAC.
 
Thompson Rivers led by as much as ten in the second quarter, and were up by five multiple times in the fourth, but the resilient Bisons battled back on the strength of their defence, their calling card all season.
 
Manitoba recorded ten steals overall, paced by three from Tito Obasoto, who also had 14 points and three rebounds off the bench. Watts and leading scorer Mason Kraus both had 17 for Manitoba, who recorded 17 points off of 17 TRU turnovers.
 
The lead changed three times in the final three minutes. Down 61-56 with five minutes to go, the Bisons went on a 6-0 run, capped by back-to-back threes.
 
Watts hit the first, and Manyang Tong – who had ten points and five rebounds – drained the second to give the Bisons a 62-61 lead with 3:39 to play. The Tong bucket was thanks to a key defensive rebound from Cieran O'Hara, who had a game-high 12 boards.
 
The Wolfpack responded immediately following a timeout from head coach Chad Jacobson, a Brandon, Manitoba native.
 
Leading scorer Asher Mayan (14 points) sunk a long-distance three with the shot clock nearly expired, but Manitoba again had the answer.
 
Watts hit a corner three on an assist from Kraus, and shortly after, Kraus stole the ball from Winnipeg native Dami Farinloye. He got to the line, sinking one of two shots with 1:21 to go.
 
Manyang Tong also got to the line with the Bisons in the bonus, setting up a thrilling finish which included another Kraus trip to the line.
 
Kraus missed the second free throw, with Simon Crossfield scooping up the ball. Down 68-85 with 25 seconds to play, Steve Stinson (14 points) opted to go for a mid-range jumper, narrowing Manitoba's lead to one, but that's as close as TRU got.
 
Obasoto was fouled with six seconds to go, and hit both free throws, and Watts collected a defensive board on the following TRU possession to seal the deal.
 
"It was a battle. I actually coached [Jacobson] on the 1999 provincial team. That makes me feel old," chuckled Bisons head coach Kirby Schepp.
 
"He does a phenomenal job with that team. They were super well prepared, tough as hell. It was a rock fight tonight. I didn't think we were great offensively, but I'm really proud of the way our guys defended. We're one of the best defensive teams in the country. I think it showed tonight."
 
Manitoba's largest lead was seven, as the two sides played exceptional defence, especially in isolation situations. Stinson was locked in on Kraus and Watts throughout portions of the game, while Crossfield was also lights out defensively.
 
As a team, TRU held the Bisons' two leading scorers to 11-of-30 from the field.
 
On the glass, Thomas Olsen, Reuben Wright and Farinloye combined for 22 rebounds and the Wolfpack forced eight Bisons turnovers, scoring eight points in transition.
 
"We just made them take tough shots," Stinson said. "[Watts and Kraus] are amazing players, probably All-Canadians. Our coach told us to stay in gaps and force tough shots."
 
But the Herd – second in Canada West giving up just 70 points per game – were just as strong on D.
 
After scoring 17 points in yesterday's win over Alberta (the first victory over the Golden Bears in TRU's history), Farinloye was held to seven points on 3-for-14 shooting from the field.
 
Kraus guarded him for massive periods of time, and when Manitoba needed a key bucket, he and Watts stepped up. The pair combined for eight threes, and 12 total points in the fourth quarter during the Herd's comeback.
 
"I played with Dami since we were kids," said Kraus.
 
"Everyone knows him. Tito knows him, Daren knows him, we all know him. We know his game. We had to keep him uncomfortable, and that's what worked today."
 
Manitoba advances to the Canada West final four, and will face UBC on March 1 at 7 pm at home with a shot at nationals, hosted by UBC, on the line. The squad will have the chance to exercise some demons, after losing to Winnipeg in the same situation at IGAC two years prior.
 
"We're mainly fourth-year guys. We have the experience. We've been here so many times," said Watts.
 
"To miss it again and again, you really want to get in. You're hungry for it. That's really encouraging us to give us the intensity we need for this playoff run."
 
"We have battle scars," added Kraus, who played 36 minutes, through an injury.
 
"Last year we lost to UNBC [in the quarterfinals] when we shouldn't have, we lost to the U of W two years ago. We s**t the bed on it. We just knew, games like this, we have to stay together, play together. That's it."