LETHBRIDGE, Alta. — Sometimes it's just a matter of survive and advance.

The Winnipeg Wesmen men's basketball team withstood a battle from the hometown Pronghorns Friday and escaped with an 87-84 Canada West conference victory that helped the Wesmen maintain their standing near the top of the table. 

Mikhail Mikhailov had 18 points on 8-for-12 shooting, and added a team-high nine rebounds as the Wesmen improved to 4-1 on the season and remained atop the Canada West with UBC and Brandon, both 4-1, and Regina, which has had a bye week and is 3-0. 

Donald Stewart scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds, Alberto Gordo dropped 15 and added seven assists with five rebounds, and Malachi Alexander chipped in with 13 and six rebounds.

The Pronghorns (0-5) were led by Jack-Henry Fox-Grey's game-high 25 points and 11 rebounds. He shot 9-for-15 from the field and hit all three of his three-pointers. Kymani Pollard scored 22 and added 16 for Lethbridge, which shot 42.1 per cent from three on the night. 

The Wesmen made 9 fo 26 from three and shot 45.3 per cent overall from the field. 

They outrebounded Lethbridge 45-43. 

The Wesmen led by as many as 14 in the first half — and 11 in the fourth quarter — but could never truly pull away. After Emmanuel Thomas hit a three to make it 79-68 with 5:27 to go, the Pronghorns went on a 9-0 run to cut it to two with 3:22 to go.

Mikhailov, however, made a jump hook and, after a pair of Pollard free throws, Alexander turned a Gordo steal into two points to give the Wesmen enough breathing room. 

Shae Gibb hit a three with nine seconds leff to cut it to one, but Shawn Maranan, who had a game-high 11 assists for his second straight double-digit assist game — nailed two free throws on the next trip, and Pollard's three was off on the final possession.

The two teams meet again at 8 p.m. CT on Canada West TV.