It wasn't the way the men's and women's UNBC basketball teams wanted last night to go as both squads suffered defeats at the hands of the visiting Manitoba Bisons on Friday night (Jan. 11).
The lady Timberwolves came into the game undefeated with a 6-0 record at the Charles Jago Northern Sport Centre but that streak was broken last night in a 76-69 defeat.
UNBC forward Maria Mongomo led the Timberwolves with 23 points, nine rebounds, and three steals in 32 minutes of action in the loss.
Forward Vasiliki Louka also had a big game for the Timberwolves, finishing with a double-double with 16 points, 16 rebounds, five assists and four blocks in 26 minutes.
UNBC shot a dismal 14.3 per cent from three while the made 30 per cent from behind the ark.
Defensively, they couldn't find a way to stop Bisons' Taylor Randall who dropped 20 points and seven assists in 40 minutes, including clutch shots late in the fourth quarter to ice the game for Manitoba.
“Getting wins on the road in this league is very important, and we’ll look to continue this tomorrow night,” Randall says in a press release. "We stayed true to our game plan on the night, and shots seemed to fall for us throughout."
The Timberwolves expressed their disappointment after the game, saying they didn't execute the way they should have and it showed.
“We came out flat, with low energy and didn’t play to our strengths. Although we lost, I think we can build on it and come out tomorrow with a different mindset,” Timberwolves' Madison Landry adds in the release.
The women now sit 8-5 overall.
23 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks earns Maria Mongomo the @MrMikesPG Player of the Game in a hard-fought @UNBCWomensBball loss to @BisonWBB. Rematch tomorrow, 5 PM, at @NorthernSport! pic.twitter.com/fWX8VkE668
— UNBC Athletics (@UNBCATHLETICS) January 12, 2019
The men also had a disappointing night, dropping the first of the back-to-back by a score of 66-63.
Guard Jovan Leamy had a monster game for UNBC, scoring 28 points with five rebounds, five steals and two blocks on the night. Timberwolves guard Vova Pluzhnikov also chipped in with 13 points, six rebounds, two assists and three steals.
UNBC stayed in the game despite shooting just 30 per cent from the field.
For the Bisons, James Wagner took matters into his own hands, netting 27 points with five rebounds, four assists and two blocks in 36 minutes of floor time.
Manitoba shot 42.6 per cent from the floor while going 30.8 per cent from behind the arc.
“We just executed our plays well. The past couple weekends we haven’t, but today we really stepped things up” Wagner says in the release. “I got a lot of open looks and I was able to knock them down.”
Leamy had hit a late corner three with just two minutes left, to come within one, but that was it for the Timberwolves.
“We weren’t able to get into a rhythm, and we got some guys in early foul trouble,” UNBC coach Todd Jordan says. “At the end of the day, we should be able to handle it better than we did. That’s no excuse for turning the ball over like we did, and making a lot of mistakes.”
The men are now on a two-game skid with an overall record of 7-6 and now have a record of 4-3 at home.
JV Leamy had 28 points, 5 rebounds, 5 steals, and two blocks, earning the @MrMikesPG Player of the Game Award, fighting until the final seconds of a 66-6 @UNBCBasketball loss to @umbisons. JV and the TWolves get another shot at the Bisons tomorrow at 7 PM at the @NorthernSport! pic.twitter.com/SpU7GT3Sig
— UNBC Athletics (@UNBCATHLETICS) January 12, 2019
Both teams face off again tonight (Jan. 12) at the Charles Jago Northern Sport Centre with the women up first at 5 p.m. and the men to follow at 7 p.m.
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