Free throw struggles sink Bisons championship hope

It was always going to be a difficult task for the Manitoba Bisons to conquer a nationally ranked team on the road while short on rest.

Make no mistake: it was a scrappy effort from the veteran Bisons, but they ultimately ran out of gas in a season-ending 77-69 defeat against the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in the Canada West men’s basketball quarterfinals in Vancouver on Friday.

Manitoba had defeated its inter-provincial rival, Brandon Bobcats, in a hard-fought play-in contest at the same venue on Thursday evening and needed to get up again for another high-stakes matchup against the No. 6-ranked team in the country.

A high-paced affair saw the Thunderbirds hold leads of 18-15, 39-28 and 59-49 at the end of each frame.

While the Bisons trailed by double-digits for many stretches, they never allowed the Thunderbirds to slam the door shut. The visitors cut the deficit to as little as four with 2:30 remaining, but struggled to overcome their foul troubles down the stretch.

Fifth-year forward Cieran O’Hara and first-year forward Ramogi Nyagudi both fouled out in the fourth quarter, leaving Manitoba thin inside the paint.

Perhaps the most glaring issue, however, was the Bisons’ struggles at the free-throw line.

One of the least efficient teams in the country from the charity stripe during the regular season, the Bisons’ woes were the difference in this fateful result, as they went 12-of-24— a stark contrast from UBC’s 22-of-28 outing.

UBC guard Holt Tomie was the best of the bunch, going 11-for-11 from the line, which contributed to his team-high 18 points. Nylan Roberts supplied 13 more, while Gus Goerzen chipped in with 10.

The Bisons were led by Darren Watts, who scored 22 points and hauled in seven rebounds. Mason Kraus poured in 13, while dishing out four assists.

The experience-laden Bisons had championship aspirations this season, with the program’s core playing in its final year. The Bisons went 13-7 during the regular season but were forced to hit the road for the playoffs after falling on the wrong side of a tie-breaker with Alberta.

Earlier this season, the team’s collection of fifth-years — Kraus, Watts, O’Hara, Tito Obasoto, Samuel Jensen and Jonam Kazadi — broke a 50-year program record by winning their 63rd conference game as teammates. They added to that record later with four more victories.

Dinos overwhelm Bisons women

Earlier in the day, it was a familiar ending for the Manitoba Bisons women’s program.

The Calgary Dinos continued to be a thorn in the Bisons’ collective side and, for the second year in a row, ended the Bisons’ season with a 91-67 victory in the Canada West play-in at the Langley Events Centre in Langley, B.C.

The Bisons were riding a wave of confidence entering the contest after closing the regular season with wins in five of their last six.

Darya Rom led all Bisons with 18 points on a night the team had just seven assists collectively. Anna Miko and Taylor Schepp both had 11 points each.

The young Bisons squad had its hands full with the No. 5-ranked team in the country, which deploys a full-court press that gave Manitoba fits throughout the contest. Calgary forced 18 turnovers and scored 26 points off those miscues, as the Bisons had no answer for the full-court pressure.

Calgary guard Christine Geraldo scored a game-high 20 points and recorded four steals, while Kourtney Oss supplied a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double. Milica Gajic provided scoring off the bench, pouring in 14 points and grabbing seven rebounds.

The Dinos have won the last 32 meetings between the conference foes.

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