WINNIPEG — The University of Manitoba Bisons celebrated the unveiling of their new court with a 74-52 victory over the Brandon Bobcats in their women's basketball home opener Saturday afternoon at the IG Wealth Management Athletic Centre.
Prior to tipoff, the Bisons held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the official unveiling of the new court, put in place to replace the one installed in 1999. Head coaches
Michele Sung and Kirby Schepp held the ribbon, while current Bisons captain
Ayva Khan joined member of the 1999 men's basketball team and current women's basketball assistant coach Paul Fust in cutting it.
Once play began, Manitoba took control early and never trailed, improving to 2-0 on the season while remaining unbeaten in Canada West play. The Bisons led 18-12 after the opening quarter, stretched their advantage to 36-22 by halftime and broke the game open with a 24-point third quarter.
Izzi Fust paced the Manitoba offence with a game-high 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting, adding nine rebounds, four steals and a block.
Manitoba's depth was on display throughout the afternoon.
Darya Rom scored 13 points off the bench, while
Samantha Onyebuchi contributed 11 points, seven rebounds, five steals and three assists.
Paige Schatkowsky added 10 points and
Hope LaRocque chipped in eight.
The Bisons used their defensive pressure to create offence, forcing 30 Brandon turnovers and converting them into 22 points. Manitoba also recorded 19 steals and eight blocks while holding the Bobcats to 26.2 per cent shooting from the floor.
Brandon was led by Amaya McLeod with 12 points, while Jessie Sumner added nine and Abigail Shand finished with eight.
The Bisons also controlled the glass, outrebounding the Bobcats 55-47, and received 42 points from their bench in a balanced offensive effort.
Manitoba's largest lead reached 28 points midway through the fourth quarter before the Bisons closed out the 22-point victory. The team is back in action Friday and Saturday when they travel to Saskatoon to take on the Huskies. The action is all on
Canada West TV.
