CALGARY – After a rough go of things in the first quarter, Manitoba rallied from a 22-point deficit to defeat the University of Calgary Dinos men's basketball team, 87-72, Friday night at the Jack Simpson Gym. 

The Dinos blitzed the Bisons 15-3 out of the gates in front of a raucous home-opener crowd, with Martynas Sabaliauskas knocking down four straight threes in his home debut. After ten minutes however, Manitoba shut off the water.

Limiting the Dinos to 30-percent shooting over the final 30 minutes, the Bisons chipped away until eclipsing the Calgary lead midway through the third quarter. A career-high 14 points from Samuel Jansen propelled Manitoba during a crucial stretch of the third, with their All-Canadian star Simon Hildebrandt in foul trouble. 

Hildebrandt was nearly perfect on the night, dissecting the Dinos halfcourt defence en route to 23 points on 8-10 shooting. Facing a cavalcade of bodies, Hildebrandt shook off a rough start, but was unable to stay out of foul trouble. The second-year forward sat down midway through the 2nd and 3rd quarters, before eventually fouling out with five minutes to play.

Forward Javier Ramos-Yzquierdo was the primary culprit in ending Hildebrandt's night early, driving to the rim and continuously drawing contact. The third-year product finished with 11 points, matching the physicality of the Bisons frontcourt. Looking ahead to Saturday's rematch, Ramos-Yzquierdo commented that it will take a full 40-minute effort to split the series.

"(We have to) try to stay consistent throughout the whole game," Ramos-Yzquierdo said postgame. "If we get up or something, we can't get too excited and (have to) keep doing what we are doing." 

Carrying a nine-point lead midway through the fourth with their star on the bench, the Bisons showcased their depth and extended their advantage in the closing minutes on the back of Tito Obasoto's 17 points and four rebounds. 

With the victory the Bisons move to 2-1 on the season. The Dinos fall to 1-2, looking to earn the split against a top-tier Canada West opponent for the second consecutive week during Saturday's rematch. Tip-off is at 6 p.m., with the game streamed live on Canada West TV. 

-UC-