Bisons Fall Short Against Thunderbirds in Hard-Fought 87-79 Battle
In the Canada West Semi-Final, the Bisons came up short in their bid to advance to the Canada West Championship and secure a berth at Nationals. It wasn’t for lack of effort—the team came ready to play, battled hard, and left everything on the court, but they couldn’t overcome a big, physical, and athletic UBC squad.
The first half was a tightly contested battle, with both teams deadlocked at 21-21 after the opening quarter. UBC held a narrow 42-41 lead at halftime.
The Thunderbirds came out strong to start the second half, capitalizing on costly Bisons turnovers to build a 12-point lead. But the Herd responded, catching fire from beyond the arc to trim the deficit in the third and fourth quarters, eventually surging ahead 70-68 with 6:36 left in the game.
A well-timed timeout helped the Thunderbirds regain their composure and quiet the boisterous crowd. From there, UBC took control in the final minutes, closing the game on a decisive 19-9 run to seal the victory.
UBC, led by Fareed Shittu’s dominant performance (20 points, 14 rebounds), remained relentless inside.
UBC did most of its damage in the paint, shooting 45% from the field compared to the Bisons' 39%. They also controlled the boards, out-rebounding the Herd 51-39. Both teams committed 17 turnovers.
The Bisons had their chances, but the calls didn’t go their way. Three key starters—Mason Kraus, Daren Watts, and Cieran O’Hara—fouled out. O’Hara’s early foul trouble forced him to sit for most of the second quarter, limiting his impact.
A tough loss, but the Bisons aren’t done yet. They’ll have one more opportunity to punch their ticket to Nationals in the third-place game next weekend in Victoria.
