WINNIPEG – on a night dedicated to women in sport, dubed “Girls Night Out” the Bisons (6-16) were hoping to split the weekend series against the visiting Regina Cougars (10-12) in the their last game of the regular season on Saturday night at the Investors Group Athletic Centre.

Two of Manitoba’s seniors were honoured before tip-off, as this would be their last game in Bison uniforms. Co-captain, Darcy Coss, and forward Brian Crowe have both had memorable seasons for the Herd, and were wished the best off luck in their future endeavors from head coach Rick Suffield in the ceremony before the game.

“It’s been great to watch these two individuals grow as players and people,” said Suffield during the ceremony. “They’ve made coaching this game a real treat.”

The home team took it to the Cougars in the opening quarter going up by as much as seven. The Herd was quick to react both on offence and defence, allowing the team to make key drives to the basket through out the frame.

With the score 28-21 for Manitoba at the start of the second, a defensive battle ensued.  The game went a full two minutes into the quarter before a basket was scored. It was Regina scoring three consecutive buckets from that point to bring the game back to within three points. From there the Bisons took advantage of Regina’s offensive miscues and padded their lead to ten points. Going into half time the score was 46-38 for the home team.

Leading the way for both teams, the only player in double figures at the half was Manitoba’s Isaac Ansah with 13.

The Bisons scored eight unanswered points to begin the second half, giving them at 54-38 lead. The Herd was rolling in the third. With five minutes gone by, Manitoba was in the midst of an unreal 17-5 run. By the End of the quarter, Manitoba was up on the Cougars by 12.

Coming home, the Bisons slowly increased their lead to just under 20 points with five minutes to go in the game. It was beginning to look like Manitoba would end their season on a positive note. With minutes to go in the game, co-captain, Coss and Crowe both elected to finish their season on the court as opposed to subbing off and letting the bench carry the rest of the game. As the clock ran down, the crowd applauded the two seniors off the court with an 86-72 win for the Bisons.

At the end of the game, Manitoba had four players in double figures. Isaac Ansah carried the squad with 26 points. Crowe had 15 points. Joel Pankewich ended the game with 12, and Coss had a respectable 10 points. Leading the way for the Cougars was Jeff Lumkomski with 17 points.
After the game, Suffield was quick to point out the caliber of play for the entire team. “I think those who watched the game tonight saw a very good, entertaining, thrilling finish to an overall well played season.”

“There were great plays from both teams, it was fun to watch,” said Suffield.