Basketball
On Nov. 24, the Bisons basketball teams went to the Duckworth Center at the University of Winnipeg to play their crosstown rivals, the Wesmen. Sadly, the Bison women’s team lost, 72-53. Meanwhile, the men dominated their game and won 87-70.
The women did quite well in the first half of the game. They entered halftime 33-30 but everything went wrong for the Bisons in the second half. The Wesmen came out strong and outscored Manitoba 26-6 in the third and 16-14 in the fourth. The third quarter would ultimately decide the outcome of the game — the Wesmen won handily.
Meanwhile, the Bison men grabbed the lead in the first quarter and never looked back. The Wesmen struggled in the first half, only connecting on eight of 31 shots from the field. The Bison outscored the Wesmen 51-47 in the second half. Fourth-year guard Jonar Huertas was clutch for the Bisons, scoring a game high 25 points in the 87-70 victory.
Next week, the Bison host the Wesmen for the basketball portion of the 21st Annual Ducksworth Challenge on Dec. 1. Manitoba has won the last two Ducksworth Challenges, and look to better their 10-5-5 record. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors, and free admission for children under the age of six.
Volleyball
The Bison women’s volleyball team played home games against the Alberta Pandas on Nov. 25 and 26. It was an interesting two days as the Bison women won 3-1 (17-25, 25-21, 25-7, 25-16) on Friday but lost 3-2 (25-17, 25-19, 23-25, 21-25, 10-15) on Saturday.
On Friday, the Bisons women struggled defensively during the first set. They managed to put things together for the remainder of the game, as they started playing better as a team and upped the intensity. By the third set, the Bison were on a role, dominating the Pandas for a set score of 25-7. Manitoba would clinch the match in the fourth set.
Unfortunately, just like their male counterparts, the women lost a close one on Saturday. The Bisons won the first two sets, but the Pandas came back, winning the third and fourth. The decisive fifth set was close, but the Pandas managed to secure the victory with a final set score of 15-10.
Hockey
On Nov. 25-26, the women travelled to Calgary to play the Dinos while the Dinos’ men’s team travelled to Manitoba to play the Bisons. The Bison hockey teams had a great weekend. The men won both games, 8-1 Friday and 4-2 Saturday. The women lost Friday, 2-0, but won 3-2 on Saturday.
The men ended up completely dominating the Dinos on Friday after a slow start. The game was still up for grabs until the third period, with the Bisons holding onto a 2-1 lead. In the third, the Bisons’ first goal was scored 40 seconds in, and the Bisons steamrolled the Dinos, scoring six goals on 14 shots, including two shorthanded goals.
The next day’s game saw no goals scored in the first period. The Dinos took a two-goal lead in the second, scoring twice on the power play. The Bisons would cut the lead to one before the period ended, scoring their only power play goal of the game. The Bisons would rally throughout the third period, scoring three straight goals for the 4-2 victory.
The first Bison women’s game of the weekend was frustrating as the visitors had several fantastic scoring chances but couldn’t cash in. The Dinos scored twice in the first and kept the Bisons off the score sheet for the remainder of the game.
Saturday’s women’s game was much more exciting, as the teams exchanged the lead throughout. Heading into the third, the teams were tied 2-2. With just over five minutes remaining, Bison Addie Miles scored the go ahead goal, clinching the game for the Bisons.
