The U of M Bisons men’s basketball team delivered a commanding performance over the weekend, winning their series against the Lethbridge Pronghorns at the Investors Group Athletic Centre.
The Bisons secured a decisive 79-63 victory on Friday, Nov. 29, followed by a dominant 77-62 win on Saturday, Nov. 30, showcasing their strength on the home court.
Game one was marked with excitement and dominance for the Bisons following superlative displays to claim a 19-11 score in the first quarter, a 21-18 score in the third quarter and a 17-10 score in the final quarter. The Pronghorns showed glimpses of brilliance in the second quarter as they wrapped it up with a 24-22 score.
In game two on Saturday, the Bisons had an impressive start in the first quarter as Cieran O’Hara made a free throw at 9:41, but the Pronghorns announced their presence with a layup from Jack-Henry Fox-Grey at the 8:42 mark.
The Bisons appeared determined to maintain their lead but were denied the opportunity as the Pronghorns revamped their play to claim an 18-17 lead. Angelo Mbituyimana’s jump shot at 1:24 made the difference for the Pronghorns.
In the second quarter, Taven Vigilance delivered a three-point jump shot assisted by O’Hara at the 9:52 mark for the Bisons to take a 20-18 lead. Vigilance went for a dunk with an assist by Mayang Tong to take the Bisons to a 22-18 lead. The Bisons did not relent as they stayed on track to end the quarter with a 38-25 lead. Barac Thon had a three-point jump shot assisted by O’Hara at 0:55 to seal the lead for the Bisons.
Fox-Grey hit the ground running for the Pronghorns in the early stages of the third quarter through a layup at 9:46, but the Bisons responded with a three-point jump shot from Daren Watts, assisted by Mason Kraus. The Pronghorns were left chasing shadows as the Bisons took a 60-37 lead at the end of the quarter.
The fourth quarter did not change the dynamics of the game despite a resurgence in the play and approach of the Pronghorns. At the 1:19 mark, the Pronghorns’ Mbituyimana had a layup to set the score at 75-60 for the Bisons, and Brandt Lenz had the remarkable layup for the Bisons at 1:04 to end the quarter with 77-62 score.
The Bisons men’s basketball head coach Kirby Schepp assessed his team on both their defensive and offensive with the hope of improving in upcoming games.
“I mean, I thought we were very good defensively. I thought our energy and our compete level defensively was really good. There were still times when we struggled a bit,” said Schepp.
“Our offensive flow wasn’t great, I think. But it’s getting better. Every day, every game, it’s getting better. Hopefully we can just continue to improve every week,” said Schepp.
He indicated that there is work to be done on the offensive side of the team.
“I think we’re not quite there offensively. The way we move the ball is not quite there. Yeah, we just got to be just a little sharper in the way we execute things offensively. Defensively, I’m pretty happy though,” stated Schepp.
The Bisons will play Winnipeg Wesmen on Thursday, Dec. 5 in a game that Schepp looks forward to while acknowledging the unbeaten run of the opponent. He stated that his players will be ready for the game.
“It’s always a huge game, right? Winnipeg is the top five team in the country. They’re undefeated in the league. It’s going to be a very tough test for us, but I know the guys will be fired up.”
With six wins and one loss, the Bisons men’s basketball team are third on the Canada West Prairie league standings with a winning percentage of 0.857.
