Basketball
The men and women’s basketball teams visited Calgary this weekend to take on the Dinos. The women’s team continued their struggles against a 2-4 Dino squad, losing Friday night 78-62, and Saturday night 65-39.
The women now sit at the bottom of the Canada West, still searching for their first win of the season.
The men’s team was in a battle for first place in the Canada West this weekend against the Dinos. Splitting the weekend with a loss Friday night 76-71 and win Saturday night 73-68, the Bisons now share first place in the conference with Calgary.
After missing the playoffs last year, the Bisons have turned things around dramatically – heading into the Christmas break at the top of the conference. If Manitoba can continue their strong play, they will have a chance at hosting a playoff game.
The Bisons were led over the weekend by Jonathan Alexander, who went 17 for 30 shooting; A.J. Basi, who went 10 for 23; and Justus Alleyn, who went 10 for 25.
The Bisons struggled from beyond the arc, dropping just 4 of 26 attempts over the weekend. Defensively Manitoba was led by Wyatt Anders with 15 rebounds, and Alexander with 17 rebounds. In Saturday night’s win, all the Bison starters picked up at least six rebounds and one reserve player, Alfreeman Flowers, grabbed eight.
Men’s hockey
The Bisons were in British Columbia looking to gain ground on third place in Canada West Standings against a struggling Thunderbirds squad. Manitoba helped their chances with a sweep of UBC, winning Friday night 2-1 and Saturday night 3-1.
Goaltender Deven Dubyk was outstanding, making 33 saves in Friday night’s win and 27 saves on Saturday night.
Dubyk leads the conference in most games played for a goaltender. He also currently boasts the second best save percentage, and is a major reason for the Bisons’ success this season.
Jordan DePape scored the two goals in Friday night’s win. On Saturday the Bisons were led by Darren Bestland, who netted two. Joel Schreyer also scored—his first goal of the season—in Saturday’s victory.
Swimming
The Bison swim team was in Lethbridge this weekend for the Canada West Swimming Championships – a three-day, 24-event competition.
The Bisons’ Dillon Perron picked up three medals, with a silver in the 200-metre breaststroke, a bronze medal in 100-metre backstroke, and a silver in 50-metre butterfly, while Kimberly Moors won gold for Manitoba in the 50-metre freestyle, and silver in the 50-metre butterfly.
The Bison women’s team finished sixth in the competition with 196 points, while the men’s team also ranked sixth, with 192 points. The UBC Thunderbirds captured first on both sides, with a combined total of over 2000 points.
Schedules
Both basketball teams return home to take on the Lethbridge Pronghorns this weekend. Games are Friday and Saturday at 6 and 5 p.m., respectively, for the women, while the men play at 8 and 7 p.m..
The men’s hockey team will stay on the road to battle the Alberta Golden Bears, with Friday and Saturday games at 8 and 7 p.m., respectively.
