Box Score Faced with a fate of potentially losing to their crosstown rivals for the first time in nearly 10 years, the Winnipeg Wesmen found a way to dig up a result that seemed dead and buried.
The Wesmen women's basketball team put together a game-changing run to come back from 15 down in the fourth quarter and then dominated in overtime to beat the Manitoba Bisons 85-74 in a Canada West conference contest at the Investors Group Athletic Centre Friday night.
The Wesmen outscored the Bisons 14-3 in overtime to extend their overall win streak against them to 30 games dating back to 2013.
The win also gave Winnipeg the win in the annual Duckworth Challenge series marking the fourth time in five years the trophy will rest downtown.
Winnipeg (13-4) trailed by 15 points with 6:59 to go before tearing off a 17-2 run capped by a
Kyanna Giles layup with 2:09 remaining that tied the game at 67. The Bisons went ahead two more times — on two free throws from Keziah Brothers and then a turnaround jumper from Brothers — but
Julia Schatkowsky had answers both times, finishing a layup assisted by Giles first, and then clutching up to knock down two free throws with 47 seconds left to knot it at 71.
In overtime, a Schatkowsky layup got the Wesmen started, which was followed by an Autumn Agar 3 that briefly gave the Bisons the lead back, but the home team would not score again. Moments after Agar's make,
Robyn Boulanger hit a stepback three and was fouled for a four-point play and the Wesmen went on to a nail-biting win that moved their record to 13-4.
Schatkowsky, who was named the Wesmen Duckworth Challenge MVP, scored 12 of her 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, and also added 12 rebounds. It's the seventh time in the past 10 games she's grabbed double-digit rebounds. She also had four blocks and two steals, both career-highs.
Giles had 22 points, seven assists, six steals and five rebounds before leaving the game late with an apparent knee injury.
Boulanger scored 15 points and
Anna Kernaghan added 12 with eight rebounds and four assists.
Brothers, playing in her last home game and earning Bisons MVP, scored a game-high 28 points. Lauren Bartlett added 17 for the Bisons (4-13) and Agar tossed in 12 with eight boards.
The Wesmen had one of their worst shooting nights of the season, making just five of 28 from three. They were 8-for-35 in the first half from the field and 3-for-16 in the third, but made 11 of 17 in the fourth and forced six turnovers in that quarter alone.
The two teams meet again Saturday at 5 p.m. at the Duckworth Centre with tickets available online now at
wesmen.ca/tickets.
