Friday, October 12

• 6:15 p.m. Bisons 91 vs. Concordia 77
• 8 p.m. Simon Fraser 69 vs. Toronto 51

Saturday, October 13 – ‘Pack the Place Pink Night’

• 6:15 p.m. Bisons 92 vs. Toronto 82 (OT)
• 8 p.m. Simon Fraser 79 vs. Concordia 65

Sunday, October 14

• 1 p.m. Bisons 70 vs. Simon Fraser 95
• 3 p.m. Toronto 70 vs. Concordia 84

Tournament All-Stars

• Christine Cho - Toronto
• Krystle Douglas - Concordia
• Melanie Schlicter - Manitoba
• Lani Gibbons- Simon Fraser

Defensive Player of the Tournament

• Kait Flett - Manitoba

Tournament M.V.P.

• Matteke Hutzler - Simon Fraser

October 14 - Despite an otherwise perfect weekend for the Bisons (2-1), Simon Fraser (3-0) pulled out a 95-70 victory in the gold medal game of the Garbonzo’s Invitational Tournament at the Investors Group Athletic Centre. Both the Bisons and SFU were coming off big wins in their previous games the night before.

Manitoba was able to open the game well, taking the Clan by surprise. Solid play came from Bison guards, Michelle Hynes, and Leigh-Anne Legal-Young giving the Bisons an early 7-2 lead. As the quarter progressed, SFU slowed the game down to suit their style. The final minutes of the frame went back and forth between the two teams with the Clan holding of the herd 26-20.

The Bisons’ Melanie Schlichter opened the second quarter with a basket from beyond the arc, and had an important steal moments later, keeping the game close. Frustration was evident on the Simon Fraser bench as the Bisons kept the Clan off the scoreboard for most of the quarter. Matteke Hutzler led all players with 12 points and 3 steals on the half. Bison guard, Tessa Klassen had 10 points for the herd. At the break, after shooting 63 percent from the field, SFU held a one-point lead 41-40.

The two teams traded 3-pointers early in the third, and both sides had their share of turnovers, but it was the much larger, SFU Clan who out-muscled the Bisons, taking advantage of obvious mis-matches, and taking the lead into the final quarter 66-55.

The Clan opened things up in the fourth going on a 15-3 run within the first 3 minutes. Spreading their lead by as much as 32 points, the Clan effectively shut down the Bisons 95-70, giving them their only loss in the tournament. The Clan’s Lanni Gibbons had a total of 25 points in the game, while Kait Flett had 12 points for the herd.

“I thought we battled in the first half,” said head coach Pam Danis. “In the second, we missed some big shots and that became a big swing, and against one of the best teams in the country those big swings are going to hurt.”

“Gibbons was obviously a big threat, but at the same time we went cold,” said Danis. “She stepped up and took advantage.”

Coach Danis also spoke about the tournament as a whole, and the team’s dedication to Cancer Care Manitoba. “When we launched this, I would have been happy had we donated a thousand dollars, but we multiplied that by ten,” said Danis. “The vibe was awesome, and that in itself is such a positive for the weekend.”

Gold Medal complete statistics...

In the bronze medal match, The Concordia Stingers (1-2) defeated The University of Toronto Varsity Blues (0-3) 84-70. The two teams were looking to salvage something from the weekend, after losing both of their opening games to begin the tournament.

Concordia held on in a tight opening quarter the take a 23-19 lead. The Stingers played defence well for most of the half forcing the ball over 10 times on steals alone. Krystle Douglas and Heather Eason both had 10 points for Concordia, and The Blues’ Alaine Hutton had 9 points going in to the break. At recess, Concordia had an 11-point, 42-31 lead.

The Blues were in foul trouble in the third quarter as Jessica Hiew fouled out midway through the frame. The Stingers took advantage of the hole left in Hiew’s absence, and slowly increased their lead on the Blues. Douglas continued her strong play throughout the remainder of the game, and had 26 points, leading all players. The Blues’ Christine Cho had 20 points of her own.

Bronze Medal complete statistics...

The regular season is still a few weeks away from starting for the herd. On November 1 Manitoba will begin the season with a game versus cross-town rivals Winnipeg, and SFU with play Victoria on October 26 to open their season. Toronto and Concordia have games on November 2, and November 16, respectively.

The Bisons will play their final exhibition games in Dryden, Ontario on October 19, and 20 as they take on Lakehead University.