KAMLOOPS – They led for a vast majority of the game but the Thompson Rivers WolfPack men's basketball team couldn't survive a red-hot run from the Manitoba Bisons in an 82-76 loss inside the TCC Friday night.
Manitoba, who entered the weekend ranked No. 8 in the country, outscored TRU 20-7 over the final six minutes of play to erase an eight-point deficit and claim the victory.
Mason Kraus and rookie sensation Simon Hildebrandt both tallied 22 points for the Bisons with Elijah Lostracco adding 14, including a clutch three-pointer late in the game.
Denys Bachurin nearly matched his career high with 22 points for TRU.
Daniel Bost caught fire from long distance, going 4-6 from beyond-the-arc en route to scoring 17 points while
Asher Mayan and
Thomas Olsen added 15 and 12 respectively.
The game was a close affair right from the beginning. With both teams struggling to fill the net early the Bisons escaped the first quarter with a 17-15 lead. Bolatito Obasoto was the leader offensively for Manitoba with five points in the frame while Mayan answered with eight for TRU.
A stifling defensive effort from TRU in the second quarter saw them pull ahead. The 'Pack limited Manitoba to making just 22.2 per cent of their shots while knocking down 50 per cent of their own to win the quarter 20-13 and hold a 35-30 lead at the break.
After the teams traded blows in the third quarter, the game was settled in a fourth frame full of drama.
A 12-5 WolfPack run powered by seven points from Bost and five courtesy of Bachurin sent the WolfPack out all the way to an eight-point lead.
The Bisons refused to be denied however and seven-straight points later the visitors were right back in it.
Kraus nailed a three-pointer to knot the game up at 72-72 with three minutes left to play to kick-start an eight-point Bisons run that put them up 77-72. Bachurin and Bost responded with buckets for TRU to cut the deficit to just one, but a three-pointer from Lostracco took the air out of the comeback attempt with one minute left to play. From there Manitoba was able to run out the clock and escape with the victory.
These same two teams will be back in action tomorrow night inside the TCC in what will be the final game of the season for TRU. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
