The Herd and the Griffins were deadlocked at 18-18 after the first quarter, with the Bisons trailing by four at halftime, 38-34. A dominant third quarter saw the Bisons outscore the Griffins 24-14, giving them the edge they needed to secure a hard-fought 88-77 victory in what was a sloppy contest.
Turnovers were a major issue, as the Bisons struggled against the Griffins' defensive pressure, committing 14 turnovers in the first half and 24 overall. However, they made up for it with strong half-court defense.
Mason Kraus (pictured above) battled early foul trouble for the second straight game but responded with a dominant second half, finishing with 24 points on 7-10 shooting, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.
Manyang Tong was a key offensive contributor as well, going a perfect 7-for-7 from the field—including four three-pointers—on his way to 18 points, helping propel the Bisons to victory.
Overall, the Bisons shot a solid 55% from the field but struggled at the free-throw line, converting just 13-of-26 (50%).
Unfortunately, Barac Thon suffered a knee injury during the game, leaving the team thin on the inside. We are hopeful the injury isn’t too serious.
You can read the full story here:
Griffins led for most of the game vs. Canada West titan Manitoba, but late lapse leads to 88-77 loss
With the win, Manitoba improves to 14-4, while the Griffins drop to 2-16.
In other conference action, the Wesmen bounced back from their upset loss to the Bobcats the night before with a dominant 95-56 victory over Brandon. Meanwhile, Calgary was stunned by Lethbridge 69-66 last night, creating a three-way tie atop the Prairie Division, with all teams holding a 14-4 record.
