Tyler Crayston, BU Athletics
BRANDON – The Saskatchewan Huskies earned a hard-fought 81-79 road win over the host Brandon Bobcats in Canada West men's basketball matinee action.
Friday's afternoon contest had a playoff like intensity and it came down to the wire with both sides trying to lockdown playoff berths.
The visiting Huskies had a 14-4 run to end the first quarter and led the Bobcats 17-15. At halftime, Brandon's deficit was 38-36.
In the third, Saskatchewan had two key surges of offence. A 9-1 run extended their lead to ten. It was followed by a 9-2 burst as the Huskies built up a 16-point lead over the Bobcats at 65-49.
Brandon got back in the game thanks to a massive 15-0 run that started with three minutes remaining in the third and ended a couple minutes into the fourth quarter. Among the highlights was Tyvon Cooper's clutch three at the buzzer to finish the third.
The Bobcats' big burst trimmed their deficit to 65-64 and that led to a dramatic finish where the Huskies emerged victorious.
JT Robinson recorded the go-ahead layup with 11 seconds to go and Cooper could not convert on BU's final possession after turning the ball over.
Lawrence Moore had a monster game for the Huskies by scoring a game-high 35 points. Joseph Barker grabbed 15 boards as Saskatchewan extended their winning streak to six straight.
Brandon had four players reach double figures in a losing effort. Cooper led the charge with 17 points while Jonathan Range added 15. Kobyn Jopp dropped 13 and John Paul rounded out the scoring with 10.
The Bobcats and Huskies both have records of 8-and-9 going into Saturday's rematch at the Healthy Living Centre.