Friday night hoops returned to Kenyon Court as the 7-6 Mount Royal Cougars hosted the 2-9 Manitoba Bisons. Coming off their first win of the new year on Thursday afternoon, the Cougars looked to complete the sweep at home against a tenacious Bisons squad.
The opening stretch was tightly contested, with both teams trading baskets early. Manitoba held a narrow 8-4 edge five minutes into the first quarter, as strong defensive play on both ends kept scoring to a minimum.
Fifth-year forward Nora Luca looked to continue her hot streak offensively, coming off a season-high 19-point performance Thursday. Luca scored twice early and added an assist to Jenessa Ramsoomair to cut the Bisons' lead to one.
First-year guard Savanah Sommerfeldt knocked down a three to give the Cougars a two-point lead, before Bisons second-year guard Darya Rom answered with one of her own. Manitoba held a slim 17-16 advantage after the opening quarter.
Ramsoomair led the charge for the Cougars in search of a momentum shift, finishing a textbook pick-and-roll before adding a tip-in a few possessions later to cut the deficit to five at the midway point of the second quarter.
The Cougars tightened up defensively in the closing minutes of the first half, and a spin-move finish from Luca helped trim the deficit to two, with Manitoba holding a 32-30 lead heading into the halftime break.
Both teams opened the third quarter with a strong defensive focus, each searching for the offensive spark that had been hard to come by. The frame was defined by physical play and battles for possession, with more than eight jump balls called in the quarter alone. Manitoba carried a narrow 44–43 lead into the final quarter of play.
The back-and-forth battle continued into the fourth quarter, with neither team able to create separation early. The Cougars briefly held a four-point advantage before Bisons forward Kyu Fust knocked down a three and later assisted on a Rom bucket to help Manitoba regain the lead.
Rom continued to showcase her shooting touch on the night, knocking down another three-pointer to extend the Bisons' lead to three. In a physical, hard-fought contest, a late technical foul allowed Manitoba to push the advantage to nine with just over a minute remaining.
Manitoba would not look back from there, securing the 67–58 win over MRU.
Player of the Game: Jenessa Ramsoomair who finished the night with 8 points and 11 rebounds for the Cougars.
