Basketball
The Bison men’s basketball team came into their two games this past weekend sitting in seventh place, still looking to book their playoff ticket.
In their first game on Friday, the Bisons got manhandled by the Spartans. Manitoba’s Nick Miller put in a remarkable performance, going six for eight from the three-point line, scoring 20 points in total throughout the night. The performance earned Miller player of the game honours, but it wasn’t enough to lead the Bisons to victory, as they lost 101-68.
The following day was more of the same for the Bisons, as they fell to the Spartans 103-76. After giving up a 38-9 lead after the first quarter, and a 60-31 lead at the half, the Bisons appeared to be putting together an epic comeback as they rallied in the third quarter and at one point were only down by nine points. But the Spartans put any notion of a comeback to rest as they sparked their offence once more in the fourth as they cruised to a convincing victory.
For the women’s basketball team to make the playoffs, they would need to win out while getting some help along the way. Sitting in 10th place, two spots out of the final playoff spot, Manitoba would need Thompson Rivers to lose their final two games and Fraser Valley to lose at least three of their last four games.
On Friday, the Bisons would face off against Trinity Western in an exciting game that would come right down to the last moments. While Bisons had issues turning the ball over early in the first half, Manitoba put it all together in the second half as they outscored the Spartans in the third and fourth quarters and hung on to a late lead to win 66-61.
The team would need a repeat performance the following night to keep their playoff hopes alive. Kayla Klassen, a fifth-year player playing in her final home game as a Bison, would come up huge for the Bisons, as she lead all players in scoring with 26 points. Despite neither team taking full control, the Bisons played a much better first half than the night before as they secured a 30-27 lead at halftime. The Bisons kept up the pressure on both offence and defence throughout the second half as they secured the two-game sweep against the Spartans with a final score of 60-54.
Hockey
This past weekend, the Bison women’s hockey team were out west, closing out their regular season against the UBC Thunderbirds.
For the Bison women hockey team, winning the final two games of the season could potentially secure second place in the Canada West standings. In their Friday game, the Bisons fell behind midway through the first period, after they allowed a shorthanded breakaway goal. The lead would not last through the period, though, as Manitoba’s Rachèle Bosc pounced on a rebound with 28 seconds remaining in the first, tying the game heading into the second. The Thunderbirds would score the lone goal in the second period, but would get into penalty trouble in the third as the Bisons capitalized by scoring two power-play goals early and a third insurance goal late to seal a 4-2 victory.
The following night Manitoba repeated their strong effort with another 4-2 win against the Thunderbirds. After a scoreless first period, Manitoba finished the second tied with UBC 2-2. In the third, the Bisons were able to take over the game, getting goals from Addie Miles and Becca King to seal the victory.
The men’s hockey team was looking to put some breathing room between them and the UBC Thunderbirds, who sat four points behind them in the standings, but were unable to fully come back from a 3-1 deficit, as they lost their first game 5-2 in front of a passionate home crowd.
Saturday saw the two desperate teams battling in a back and forth game in which overtime was needed for Manitoba to secure a 4-3 victory.
Volleyball
Both the Bison men’s and women’s volleyball teams were out west this past weekend, taking on the Trinity Western Spartans. With both teams having their playoff berths clinched, there wasn’t much on the line for either squad besides an opportunity to move up in the ranks. Unfortunately, both teams would come up empty handed: the men lost 3-1 (25-22, 20-25, 14-25, 20-25), while the women lost 3-0 (23-25, 22-25, 22-25).
The following night, the Spartans once again defeated the men’s team by a score of 3-0 (25-17, 25-17, 28-26). The women’s team, unfortunately, also suffered a two-game sweep as they lost their second game to the Spartans 3-1 (25-17, 25-19, 16-25, 25-17).
The Canada West quarter-finals kick off next weekend, with both the men’s and women’s teams taking on rival Brandon. The men will be playing host at the Investors Group Athletic Centre, while the women will play visitor to host Brandon, Feb. 18-20.
