Griffins in a battle until Bisons got hot from the outside to blow it open in 96-71 result
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
19 | 20 | 11 | 21 | 71 |
|
|
27 | 18 | 29 | 22 | 96 |
Team Stats
Manitoba
| Game Statistics | MacEwan University | Manitoba |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (25-62) | (35-68) |
| Field Goal % | 40.3% | 51.5% |
| Rebounds | 28 | 47 |
| Assists | 11 | 26 |
| Turnovers | 14 | 16 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 19 | 10 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 11 | 18 |
| Pts in the Paint | 32 | 40 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 0 | 6 |
| Bench Pts | 0 | 0 |
Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
WINNIPEG, Man. – Trailing by just six points at the half after fighting back and winning the second quarter, the Griffins men's basketball team was in a good spot to challenge the Manitoba Bisons down the stretch on Saturday.
Then the other team just started making shots.
Keyed by 6-0 and 14-0 runs in two hot-shooting stretches of the third quarter, the Bisons gained a 21-point lead and never looked back in a 96-71 victory.
"At the end of the day, basketball's a game of shots made," said Griffins head coach David Kapinga, noting it was shades of the Lethbridge game earlier this month when the Pronghorns couldn't miss. "Manitoba started making shots and it opened the game wide open. I think it was three threes back-to-back-to-back.
"We fought back after a timeout and then they hit another three threes afterwards. It started raining and we couldn't stop them from happening."
With the result, the Griffins fall to 3-13 and see their playoff chances on life support. With four games remaining, they are three wins behind Lethbridge (6-12) for the final post-season position in the Prairie Division. Manitoba is now 10-6, tied for fourth in the division.
The Bisons were led on Saturday by Ramogi Nyagudi, who went off to the tune of 33 points, including going 7-for-10 from beyond the arc. Daren Watts had 25 points, which included 4-for-6 three-point shooting. Overall, the Bisons shot 45.5 per cent on treys.
MacEwan was led by Diego Presingular, who scored 15 points, adding six assists, four rebounds and a steal, without committing a turnover in a great performance in front of friends and family in his hometown. Job Janda added 12 points and Favour Igbinyemi had 10.
Diego Presingular sinks a fast-break three as the @MacEwanGriffins rally in #YWG.
— MacEwan Griffins Men's Basketball Team (@Griffins_MBB) January 25, 2026
They trail @umbisons 45-39 at the half. Presingular leads MacEwan with 13 points.
Watch on @CanadaWest TV.#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/BUPX0JW24X
"I thought Diego shot really well from the field today," said Kapinga of his 5-for-10 statline. "(His stats reflect some) of the things I challenged him with. Point guards take care of the ball, point guards feed the rest of their teammates and he did that today.
"Kudos to him. It was a great game for him. To play in front of his family like that, I was happy for him."
MacEwan's signature moment in the game was when they outscored Manitoba 20-18 in the second quarter and got the score within striking distance at the half.
"It was about fighting," said Kapinga. "Credit to the guys. They fought and made sure they were the aggressors. We kept them to one shot, grabbed the rebound and then we were able to run and play the basketball that we love to play so much, which is in transition.
"We really switched up the look on them defensively a few times, which I think helped keep them off balance, but like any great team, any good coach, they made the adjustments and it worked for them."
Next up for the Griffins is a trip Jan. 30-31 to Brandon to face the Bobcats, who, at 6-10, are one of the teams MacEwan needs to reel in if they hope to cash in on a longshot bid to earn a playoff spot.
