Two teams heading in opposite directions met on the U Sports Canada West men’s basketball court Saturday in Winnipeg with a predictable result.
The UNBC Timberwolves came out on the losing end of a 77-68 decision at the hands of the Manitoba Bisons, which left the T-wolves with almost no chance of making a second-straight appearance in the Canada West playoffs.
Justus Alleyn led the way for Manitoba with 19 points and four assists while Keith Omoerah was a force at the other end of the court with nine defensive rebounds for the Bisons (10-6), who posted their eighth-straight victory in conference play and 11th overall.
Rhys Elliott paced the T-wolves' attack with 19 points. The fifth-year guard shot 6-for-18 from the field but missed all four of his three-point attempts. Vaggelis Loukas had 12 points, 11 rebounds and three assists in a losing cause.
UNBC (4-10) dropped its eighth consecutive game and now has just four games left. The T-wolves, who lost 86-85 to Manitoba on Friday, play next weekend at UBC and finish the season Feb. 10-11 at home against Saskatchewan.
Just before the men tipped off in Winnipeg, the Manitoba women posted their second win of the season, defeating UNBC 67-64.
The T-wolves led 37-24 at halftime but Manitoba closed the gap to seven after 30 minutes, down 51-44. A 10-3 run to start the fourth quarter pulled the Bisons even at 54-54 with 6:35 still to play.
Madison Landry’s jump shot put UNBC ahead 64-63 with 28 seconds still to play, but with nine seconds on the clock, Keziah Brothers sunk a lay-up and Rebecca Potter connected on both her foul shots to end the game.
Potter finished with 17 points and Emma Thompson had 16 points and 10 rebounds. UNBC guard Maria Mongomo collected a game-high 23 points and also had seven rebounds, while Vasiliki Louka picked up a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Despite the loss, UNBC (6-10) remains in a playoff position, ranked 11th in the 17-team league. Manitoba (2-14) is tied for last place with Thompson Rivers of Kamloops.
The T-wolves opened the weekend Friday with an 85-75 win over Manitoba.
