The Bisons women’s basketball team played against the University of Winnipeg Wesmen at the Investors Group Athletic Centre on Friday, Dec. 5. The herd won the game 73-71 in a tight matchup.
The game started off with a jump shot by Raia Guinto for the Wesmen. Less than a minute later, Anna Miko scored two points for the herd. This reflected a close game, as the teams would go back and forth and evenly matched in scoring skills. The Wesmen continued to pressure the herd and pushed the score to 14-8, but the Bisons soon gained momentum with the help of Treyah Paquette and Ayva Khan, scoring five and six points respectively. The first quarter ended 20-17.
The herd controlled most of the second quarter behind an explosive stretch from Miko, who scored eight points and made good runs repeatedly in transition alongside two blocks and two steals. However, Khan missed free throws for the herd, but redeemed herself with five points, three rebounds and one assist. The Wesmen were on par with the Bisons with help from Carmen Hiebert, who grabbed four rebounds. The first half ended with the herd leading 44-39.
Post-halftime, the Wesmen clawed back in the third with crisp passes and better possession. For the Wesmen, Guinto scored four points with layups and Jazmin Birch added four points and two defensive rebounds. The herd responded with two points from Miko, two rebounds and one assist, along with strong bench production from Darya Rom, who added four points and two rebounds. The third quarter ended tied at 55-55.
The Bisons controlled most of the fourth quarter by scoring efficiently and forcing key stops. However, the Wesmen were better when it came to rebounds. Birch scored six points with two rebounds and one assist for the Wesmen, and her influence in this quarter was significant. The scoring was very close, as each team stayed tight and whichever team was trailing was only a moment away from tying the game or allowing the leading squad to create a gap. With one minute left, the score was 73-67, but the Wesmen gave their all and pushed it to 73-71. With four seconds left, Jennifer Edwards made a defensive rebound and missed a three-point jump shot from halfcourt that would have been a game-winner for the Wesmen.
For the Bisons, Miko and Khan scored 15 points each overall. Hiebert was able to get 10 rebounds for the Wesmen.
The herd will play against the Wesmen again on Jan. 29 at 6 p.m. CT at the Investors Group Athletic Centre as a part of the Duckworth Challenge.
Bisons women’s basketball head coach Michele Sung was pleased with the game. “It’s always nice to get a win.” Sung credited strong ball movement and balanced scoring for the victory. “Just having scoring from multiple people helped,” she said.
Several players stood out in the match. “I think Anna [Miko] had a great game. I think she had some really good vertical pressure and used her length really well,” Sund commented.
Looking ahead to a rematch, Sung said the team might adjust its strategy. “We get a lot of videos on different teams. You kind of have to switch it up a little bit, so we’ll see how the second half of our season goes. And if we need to change based on that and how they’re playing, it’ll change a bit.”
The Bisons women’s basketball team will next face the Mount Royal University Cougars on Thursday, Jan. 8 at 11:30 a.m. CT and on Friday, Jan. 9 at 6 p.m. CT in Calgary, Alberta. The Bisons last played against the Cougars on Feb. 15 at the Investors Group Athletic Centre, where the herd lost 90-78.
