The 8-5 Mount Royal Cougars opened Friday night's men's basketball action at Kenyon Court against the 6-5 Manitoba Bisons.
The opening minutes were tightly contested, with Cougars captain Sam Barnie leading the way, scoring five early points to give Mount Royal a 13-10 lead. Bisons guard Mason Kraus quickly responded with a three-pointer, knotting the game at 15-15.
Cougars fourth-year guard Kole Scott, looking for a bounce-back performance, got off to a hot start, hitting all four of his first shots, including a three-pointer, to help Mount Royal take a 26-20 lead early in the second quarter. Not long after, a thunderous dunk from Kuach Gajak extended the lead to eight for the Cougars.
The Bisons weren't about to let up, as Kraus knocked down four of Manitoba's six first-half three-pointers, helping his team reclaim the lead, 36-34, in the closing minutes of the half.
Mount Royal received a lift from first-year guard Desmond Ducheck, who sank a clutch three-pointer to cut the deficit to one, sending the Cougars into halftime trailing 42-41.
Trailing by just one, the Cougars needed a strong start to the second half to slow down Manitoba's momentum. Ducheck continued his hot shooting from beyond the arc, adding two more three-pointers for Mount Royal.
However, a free throw from Bisons second-year guard Taven Vigilance pushed Manitoba's lead to 58-49, and shortly after, Kraus drained another three, extending the lead to 61-49.
Just one night after surpassing the 1,000-point milestone in his career, Bisons fifth-year guard Daren Watts fueled his team's effort to stay ahead, shooting better than 60% from the field. Watts helped lead Manitoba to a 67-54 advantage heading into the final frame.
Mount Royal's Kole Scott did everything he could to spark a comeback at the start of the fourth quarter, with timely buckets from second-year guard Jacob McLellan, but the Bisons' lead stretched to 16 points, 76-60, with six minutes remaining.
In the end, the duo of Watts and Kraus proved too much for the Cougars, combining for 51 of Manitoba's 88 points in a 88-72 victory on Friday night at Kenyon Court.
Player of the Game: Kole Scott who finished with 16 points on the night on 50% shooting from the field.
