WINNIPEG – The No. 7 UBC Thunderbirds men's basketball team earned a hard-fought 76-66 road victory over the Manitoba Bisons Saturday night at the Investors Group Athletic Centre in Winnipeg.
 
With the win, UBC improves to a 9-3 record, while Manitoba falls to 8-4, breaking a two-game win streak.
 
UBC's Phil Jalalpoor (Shifferstadt, Germany) led both teams with 19 points, while his teammate Jordan Jensen-Whyte (Calgary) and Manitoba's Justus Alleyn each had 18.
 
UBC took a commanding lead in the first. The strong Thunderbird offence dominated the quarter, as the visitors put up 20 points to the Bisons' nine. Manitoba ran into trouble with fouls early on and gave up three points on free throws. UBC guard Jensen-Whyte netted a three-point buzzer beater to cap off the quarter with a 20-9 T-Bird lead.
 
Joseph Medrano opened the second with a three-point jump shot to put the Bisons in double digits, and Manitoba's offense took off from there. Later in the quarter, the Bisons held the visitors scoreless for almost three minutes, during which Basi sunk a three-pointer, a layup and a jump shot and Keith Omoerah added a layup. Manitoba took advantage of the frustrated Thunderbirds and held UBC to a single-digit lead. Basi sunk three free throws to end the quarter with the Bisons down just 36-32.
 
The heated game continued in the third quarter, but the Bisons quickly ran out of steam. Manitoba's strong passing game drove balls to the net, but the home side struggled to score, especially toward the end of the quarter. UBC held the Bisons scoreless for over four straight minutes, while the Thunderbirds extended their lead to double digits on free throws and field goals.  Disputed calls had both teams shooting in bonus, but the Bisons couldn't catch up to the dominant T-Birds, who led 53-44 after three.
 
Alleyn narrowed the scoring gap early in the fourth with a pair of free throws and a layup, but tight UBC defence kept the Bisons from taking over the lead. The tight game continued, but an offensive burst pushed the visitors further ahead. UBC retook and held their double-digit advantage, taking the game 76-66.
 
The Thunderbirds host the Regina Cougars at home next weekend.
 
The Bell NBA All-Star Challenge presented by AIR MILES is making its way across Canada ahead of the 2016 NBA All-Star Game in Toronto, and on Saturday, January 23, the competition will make its way to UBC's Point Grey campus.

Saturday's festivities, culminating with the Thunderbirds men's and women's double-header against the Regina Cougars, will be headlined by an NBA skills competition, and appearances from former Vancouver Grizzlies icon Shareef Abdur-Rahim. The NBA will be rolling out the full big-league experience at War Memorial Gym during the two Thunderbird basketball games, as sponsors Bell, Samsung, BMO, and AIR MILES will be doling out prizes, giveaways amidst a host of interactive exhibits and performances.