Men’s basketball split weekend series with Golden Bears

The Bisons secure thrilling 88-82 win and a narrow 71-69 loss in rematch

The Bisons men’s basketball team had a split result in their weekend series against the Alberta Golden Bears. The Bisons secured an 88-82 victory in overtime on Friday, Jan. 24. However, the Golden Bears rebounded in Saturday’s matchup on Jan. 25, edging out the Bisons in a hard-fought 71-69 contest.

In game one, the Bisons and the Golden Bears got off to an exciting start, exchanging baskets early in the first quarter. The Golden Bears pulled ahead with a 10-5 lead following Kyle Varner’s three-point jump shot at the 7:40 mark. The Bisons took a 13-12 lead after Daren Watts nailed a three-point jump shot, assisted by Taven Vigilance, at 4:56. The game remained close, with the score tied at 18-18 at 1:12. However, Barac Thon shifted momentum in favour of the Bisons with a crucial three-point jump shot at 0:56, assisted by Tito Obasoto, securing a slim 21-20 lead to close the quarter.

The Bisons and the Golden Bears maintained their intensity at the start of the second quarter. The game was locked at 29-29 at the 5:55 mark, but Manyang Tong’s free throw gave the Bisons a narrow 30-29 lead. The Bisons closed the quarter with a 44-38 advantage. In the final seconds, at the 0:12 mark, Thon sank a three-point jump shot, assisted by Obasoto.

The third quarter showcased the Golden Bears’ resilience after the Bisons established a commanding 57-38 lead at the 3:54 mark. Varner reignited the Golden Bears with a three-point jump shot at 3:44. At 2:16, Watts and Thon contributed crucial free throws, extending the Bisons’ lead to 59-44. The Bisons maintained control, ending the quarter with a slim 59-55 advantage.

The Bisons and the Golden Bears gave it their all in the fourth quarter. After Varner’s layup at 5:30, the Golden Bears took a 63-62 lead. They held onto the advantage until 1:38, when Brandt Lenz made a three-point jump shot, assisted by Mason Kraus, tying the score at 68-68. The two teams exchanged baskets, ending the quarter at 71-71.

In overtime, the Bisons adjusted their approach, and it paid off with a hard-fought 88-82 victory. Kraus sealed the win with free throws for the Bisons at 0:15.

The Bisons men’s basketball coach Kirby Schepp reflected on the positive aspects of the game and shared how the team managed to secure the win.

“I mean, the positive is how we battled back when they made their run,” said Schepp. “The game was on the verge of kind of becoming a blowout, and credit to Alberta, they really battled and came back in the game, made that huge run and took the lead. And when it kind of looked like we were cooked, guys really stepped up and made plays late just to get it to overtime. And then, yeah, guys made big plays in overtime.”

Kraus shared his insight into how the team managed to overcome the opponent.

“They had all the momentum. They had it going. They had it going and we just had to keep fighting. We just had to keep going. Guys were making plays, Brandt hit a three, I got my shot scored, Daren got it. It was just us playing together at the end,” he said.

The guard spoke about the excitement and significance of winning a game of this magnitude.

“It’s awesome. Especially games like this. We thought we were going to win by more, but games like this are scrappy. They’re a good team, they’re fighting for wins, they’re fighting to get a playoff spot. Games like this matter in the playoffs later on.”

The Bisons fell to the Golden Bears 71-69 in a tightly contested game two. With just seconds remaining, the Bisons were on the verge of victory but surrendered their lead after Nash Semeniuk’s layup put the Golden Bears ahead 70-69 at the 0:13 mark. Semeniuk then sealed the win with a free throw, securing the 71-69 final score.

With 11 wins and three losses, the Bisons men’s basketball team are second on the Canada West Prairie league standings, alongside Calgary, with a winning percentage of 0.786.

The Bisons men’s basketball team will play the Winnipeg Wesmen on Friday, Jan. 31 at 8 p.m. CT at the Investors Group Athletic Centre and on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. CT at the Duckworth Centre.