With a pair of dominant games on the weekend, the U of M Bisons men’s basketball team routed the Trinity Western University Spartans in back-to-back games. The Spartans were offensively outmatched, outscored 193-122 by the Bisons over two games.
Friday
The Bisons opened the weekend with a 101-60 win over the Spartans Friday at the Investors Group Athletic Centre.
Isaac Miller-Jose came off the bench and led Manitoba with 20 points and nine rebounds, while Keiran Zziwa put up another 18 points for the herd. Vartan Tanielian meanwhile scored 18 points for the visitors.
Manitoba opened the game with a 14-3 run, with Zziwa accounting for eight points. The teams traded buckets the rest of the way and Manitoba led 25-13 after the first quarter.
Joel Adu-Quaye put up five points on a 13-3 Bisons run to open the second quarter. The Spartans began to drop shots after that, but the Bisons took a 54-29 lead into halftime.
Manitoba’s defence stepped up in the third with three steals and three blocks in the frame. James Wagner paced the herd offensively with six points in the frame and Miller-Jose blocked two shots. The Bisons held a 77-39 lead at the end of the third quarter.
The Spartans played better in the final quarter and Tanielian dropped a quarter-high 12 points. Manitoba kept up with Miller-Jose dropping nine points in the frame and Risto Zimbakov scoring seven more off the bench.
The Bisons dominated the majority of the game and went on to win by a commanding score of 101-60.
Saturday
Manitoba continued its tour of the Trinity Western University Spartans Saturday with a 92-62 win to take the series.
Rashawn Browne led the Bisons with 14 points and nine rebounds, while Zach Giesbrecht had a good night with 12 points.
“I think we’re just trusting each other more,” said Giesbrecht.
“We’re getting used to each other and I think we’re peaking at close to the right time.”
Manitoba stormed out of the gates with a 13-0 run. James Wagner and Andre Arruda accounted for the majority of the early points, and Arruda led both teams with eight points in the quarter.
Manitoba’s defence held Trinity Western to nine points and led 23-9 after the first frame.
The visitors stepped up in the second quarter, with Ethan DaSilva and Aaron Paetkau knocking down seven points each. Paetkau slammed down a dunk with little time remaining in the half, but Giesbrecht hit a buzzer-beater three from half court to give the Bisons a 44-28 halftime lead.
“I turned it over, which was a bad turnover for the team,” said Giesbrecht.
“But then, I don’t know, I just got the ball and I knew I had to throw it up and it went in.”
Trinity Western went on a 16-3 scoring run in the third quarter to cut the Manitoba lead to eight points. However, Keiran Zziwa knocked down three shots and led the Bisons with 11 third-quarter points.
An Isaac Miller-Jose dunk brought fans to their feet and the Bisons had a 71-48 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Manitoba continued to roll in fourth quarter and went on to win 92-62.
The sweep brings Manitoba to 10th in the conference at 7-9 on the year.
Manitoba will travel to Kamloops next week to take on the Thompson Rivers University Wolfpack. Game one is Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. CST and game two is the next day at 9 p.m. CST.
