By Brett Hopper

WINNIPEG – After splitting a weekend away from home in B.C., the Bisons (7-10) returned home to the Investors Group Athletic Centre on Friday night to take on the Brandon Bobcats (0-17).

The Bisons led the game from start to finish to take a 101-70 win into Saturday night’s rematch. It was the Bobcats’ 84th straight loss in conference play, spanning over four seasons.

The Bisons were looking to gain some ground in the Great Plains Division in the Canada West Conference against the basement-dwelling Bobcats. The win on the night definitely helped the cause according to head coach, Pam Danis.

“I hope we can use this momentum,” said Danis. “We need the wins, and we need to move forward.”

Bison guard, Tessa Klassen, started the game with an aggressive mindset scoring the Herd’s first eight points, including two three-pointers, to give Manitoba an early lead. Brandon was playing catch-up for the better part of the frame against a swarming Bison defence, playing hard in and around the key. Going into the second, the score was 29-17 for the home team.

With a 12-point lead, Manitoba was in cruise control, and catching all the breaks. A quick steal and basket midway through the quarter from co-captain, Michele Hynes only emphasized that point. The Bisons were dominant on the offensive side of the ball, taking an 18-point, 52-34 lead into the break.

The Bisons had three players in double figures in the first half. Kayla and Tessa Klassen had 11 points each, and Hynes has 12 points, along with 4 assists. Melanie Thompson led the Bobcats and all players with 19 points.

Only one team, Western, has broken the 100-point barrier in a game this season, but the Bisons were on pace to pull off that same feat in this game.

The second half got underway with the Bobcats going on a 10-4 run, however, quick giveaways by Brandon allowed Manitoba to regain most of their momentum. The game was getting out of hand late in the quarter, as the Bisons went up by 21 at one point.

Going into the fourth quarter, with the score 77-58 in favor of the hometown Herd, barring a catastrophic breakdown, all Manitoba had to do was run out the clock and the game for their first win at home in 2008. The Herd broke the 100-point barrier with 32 seconds left on the clock with a lay-up by co-captain, Melanie Schlichter to take the 101-70 win.

The Bisons had five players in double figures on the night: Kayla Klassen had 11 points, Michele Hynes has 12 points and 11 assists, Kait Flett took home 15 points, Melanie Schlichter had 17, and Tessa Klassen had 24. In the second half the Herd were shooting an unreal 50 percent from the field. Allie Butz had 20 points, and Melanie Thompson had 27 for the Bobcats.

The last time Manitoba scored 100 points in a game was February 4, 2005 when they beat the Bobcats 100-40.

“All of our starters played well obviously, but I liked our play off the bench,” said Danis after the game. “Mubo Ilelaboye played really well for example, she’s a first-year who’s taken on a larger role this half of the season”

Game two of this weekend series takes place tomorrow night, Saturday, January 26 at the Investors Group Athletic Centre. The game starts at 6:15 pm.