The Bisons men’s basketball team secured a spot in the Canada West Championship semifinals after defeating the Thompson Rivers WolfPack 70-67 on Saturday, Feb. 22 in a quarter final game at the Investors Group Athletic Centre.
In the first quarter, the Bisons took a 5-0 lead at the 9:03 mark, but the WolfPack responded to tie the game 5-5 at 6:37. Mason Kraus then made a three-point jump shot at 4:59, assisted by Tito Obasoto, putting the Bisons ahead 10-5. However, Asher Mayan also made a three-pointer at 3:37, leveling the game at 10-10. The Bisons had a 15-13 lead at 2:51 when Obasoto made a layup, assisted by Cieran O’Hara. The WolfPack fought back, with Thomas Olsen making a layup at 1:35 to take a 17-15 lead. Reuben Wright made a jump shot at 0:34, making it 19-15 for the WolfPack.
The WolfPack extended their lead to 27-17 at the 7:46 mark of the second quarter. However, the Bisons had a comeback, gaining a 32-31 advantage after Daren Watts made a three-point jump shot at 2:09, assisted by Brandt Lenz. Kraus then added another three-pointer at 1:13, assisted by Watts, pushing the Bisons ahead 35-31 as both teams headed into halftime.
In the third quarter, the Bisons extended their lead to 40-33 at the 8:10 mark after Kraus made a three-point jump shot, assisted by Manyang Tong. The WolfPack fought back, taking a 50-46 advantage when Simon Crossfield hit a three-pointer at 2:50. Mayan then added a jump shot at 1:01, giving the WolfPack a 52-49 lead.
In the fourth quarter, the WolfPack maintained the lead until the 3:39 mark when Tong made a three-point jump shot, assisted by Kraus, to put the Bisons ahead 62-61. The Bisons extended their lead to 67-64 at 0:50 after Tong made a free throw. With six seconds remaining, Obasoto made two free throws to secure a 70-67 lead for the Bisons, which held as the final score.
The Bisons men’s basketball coach Kirby Schepp provided insight into his team’s performance.
“They were super well prepared, tough as hell,” said Schepp. “I didn’t think we were great offensively, but I’m really proud of the way our guys defended. I think we’re one of the best, if not the best defensive team in the country and I think it showed tonight.”
He reflected on last year’s performances and emphasized that the team is determined to compete this year.
“We didn’t ignore it, we embraced that kind of disappointment head-on. It was what it was. This is a new year and a new time and a new group of guys,” Schepp said. “We are just trying to focus on the moment itself and just compete.”
Watts noted that the events of last year served as motivation for them to play better.
“We definitely remember what happened last year, so we didn’t want that to happen again,” he said. “And we’re just fighting through the end. I guess we just had that encouragement throughout the entire game just to not have a repeat of last year.”
Kraus reflected on last year and highlighted what needs to be done to secure a win this year.
“And I’ll just add, we have battle scars. Last year, we lost to [University of Northern British Columbia] when we shouldn’t have, we lost to [University of Winnipeg] two years ago, where we felt like we had to win,” he said. “And we just knew that it’s games like this, we just got to know. We just got to stay together, play together and that’s it.”
The Bisons men’s basketball team will be playing in the semifinals for the second time in the last three years.
The Bisons men’s basketball team will play the UBC Thunderbirds in a semifinal game on Saturday, March 1 at 7 p.m. CST at the Investors Group Athletic Centre.
