Jason Hills
For MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – The MacEwan Griffins are banged up, battered and bruised, and when they got behind the Manitoba Bisons, it could've been easy for them to just pack it in and focus on another day – but they didn't back down.
MacEwan trailed by as many as 25, and were down 22 going into the fourth quarter, but they banded together for a fierce rally that came up just short in an 86-79 loss on Friday night at the David Atkinson Gym.
Diego Presingular led MacEwan with 21 points, four rebounds and three assists, while Hugo Alonso chipped in with 17 points, including nine in the fourth quarter in the loss. Job Janda recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds as MacEwan fell to 2-15 this season.
Manitoba had five players score in double digits and were led by 15 points and three rebounds from captain Mason Kraus. Barac Thon recorded 14 points and seven rebounds and was 40 per cent from beyond the arc for the Bisons.
It was a gritty effort by the Griffins who were missing the services of point guard Justice Byam as well as forward Milan Jaksic, who both missed their second-straight games due to injury.
"I thought the guys played incredibly hard," said Griffins' head coach Mike Connolly.
"We got down, and it was too much, but we battled, and we showed a ton of character to fight back. We got to keep learning and growing, and I was happy with the effort."
Job Janda on a tear to open the game, scoring the first seven points of the game for the @MacEwanGriffins after knocking down this three. They're trailing 44-31 at the half to @UMBisons.#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/YIUGeITqSb
— MacEwan Griffins Men's Basketball Team (@Griffins_MBB) February 8, 2025
MacEwan led 20-18 after the opening quarter, but the Bisons started to find their offensive stride in the second quarter, and too many turnovers allowed Manitoba to break it open in before the half.
The Bisons took a 44-31 lead into the second half, and Manitoba got a big boost from Thon who hit three treys in the second quarter and finished the half four-of-five from long range.
"The one thing we should've controlled better was the turnovers in the first half. We couldn't get anything going in that second quarter offensively," said Presingular.
In the second half, the Griffins struggled to get going on any kind of a run to chip away at the Bisons' lead, but they kept battling, even though they were down to only eight healthy bodies.
With their injuries mounting, it gave opportunities for some others to step up, and Mawien Monydhar, had a big fourth quarter with extended minutes. He finished with four points and five rebounds, all primarily coming in the final quarter.
Monydhar hit a three-pointer from deep in the corner to cut the Bisons lead to just nine with 1:56 to go.
Presingular got hot from beyond the arc, hitting three of his five three-pointers and 13 of his 21 points in the second half.
Diego Presingular hits another three!
— MacEwan Griffins Men's Basketball Team (@Griffins_MBB) February 8, 2025
He ends up with five treys in the contest to finish with a game-high 21 points as @MacEwanGriffins' impressive late rally against @umbisons falls short in an 86-79 loss.#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/y6YXzAtEtH
"We got down to eight guys, but that didn't matter to us, we fought hard and played amazing defense," said Presingular.
"They're one of the best teams in the country, and for us to play like we did, with only eight guys, it showed a lot of heart."
The Griffins have just two wins this year but have lost many close games that have come right down to the final few shots in the fourth quarter.
"They're showing character, they don't quit, and they play hard, and that's all I can ask as a coach," said Connolly.
One thing they've shown this year; it doesn't matter how many points they're down going into the fourth quarter – they will find a way to battle back
"This whole season we've shown we adapt and adjust in the second half, and our focus needs to be on coming out stronger in the first half. If we can do that, there's no doubt in my mind we can come out on top in more games," said Presingular.
"Tonight, we had a timeout, we huddled, and I just told the guys we can come back. If we can come back all the way from 20 points, and we're only down nine, we can close out this game. We just had to get it going a little earlier. It was just a little too late."
MacEwan will play their final home game of the regular season in their weekend series finale against Manitoba on Saturday (5 p.m., David Atkinson Gym, Canada West TV).
PURCHASE TICKETS HERE (MacEwan students get in free)
Longtime Griffins assistant manager/boss Scottie Mergaert was celebrated before the game after reaching his 20th anniversary with the team. Mergaert, who has Down Syndrome, is beloved by players, coaches and others involved with MacEwan basketball in the last two decades.
Scottie Mergaert, left, poses with friend and former Griffins men's basketball player Adam Boyd on Friday night (James Maclennan photo).
