Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
-With files from Manitoba Athletics
WINNIPEG – The battle was valiant, for sure.
Down to just eight healthy players after some devastating injuries last weekend, the MacEwan Griffins women's basketball team put forth a solid effort before falling 65-51 to the Manitoba Bisons on Friday night.
"It's not an ideal circumstance, but it's the hand we've been dealt and where we're at," said Griffins head coach Katherine Adams. "We do the best we can, given the circumstances.
"I thought all things considered, we're asking a lot of our players, we're putting them in new roles they haven't been in this year, and, with that, I thought they did well. We certainly struggled at times, trying to find gaps and openings and just adjusting to a new role. But all in all, they battled."
With the result, the Griffins fall to 2-13, while the Bisons improve to 3-12 in Canada West play.
Four Bisons players would enter the double digits Friday, led by guard Keziah Brothers who would drop 15 points, six rebounds, and an assist, on 60 percent shooting from the field.
Griffins captain Shannon Majeau would leave it all on the hardwood, dropping 16 points and nine rebounds on 50 percent shooting from the field.
"She was great," said Adams. "She kind of set the tone early for us and carried us through the first half when shots weren't falling."
Other standout performances for MacEwan included the play of rookies Toki Tsuzuki (10 points, four assists and four rebounds) and Toni Gordon (11 rebounds and six assists).
"I thought Toki did a great job handling the ball today," said Adams. "We were down two ball handlers, and she really took on a big role in handling Manitoba's pressure. She did a tremendous job of that. And Toni stepped into a bigger role than she was used to earlier this season and did a great job. She didn't find the scoresheet as much as she'd maybe like, but 11 rebounds, six assists is a great performance."
Going into the fourth, Griffins guard Mackenzie Farmer would get it going, finishing the game with 12 points, four boards and four assists as MacEwan outscored the Bisons 23-11 in the final 10 minutes.
We came back in the fourth and found our mojo a bit – found the gaps, found the openings and found the confidence to attack, and play the way we're capable of," said Adams, whose team was chasing the game after scoring only four first-quarter points.
"I think we learned some things moving forward and hopefully we can take that into tomorrow night and carry the momentum that we built in the fourth quarter."
The teams will meet again on Saturday (4 p.m. MT, Canada West TV).
