SASKATOON- The University of Saskatchewan Huskies men's basketball team secured their first win of the season on home court Friday night with an 83-64 victory over the visiting Manitoba Bisons at the PAC.

Marquavian Stephens led all scorers with 28 points and 8 rebounds. Noah Nickel went 4-for-4 from behind the arc and finished with 18 points. 

After coming off the bench and shooting 7-for-9 from the field, Nickel said he credits the competition he faces in practice to prepare him for games. "We compete in lots of drills during the week where I get to play against a really good starting five. If I can compete against them, I believe I can play against anyone else on the court."

The Huskies were relentless on the defensive end, specifically in the second quarter where they only gave up 11 points in the frame. 

"Manitoba has a couple of guys (James Wagner, Kieran Zzwia) that do a lot of the damage for them. So we said that if the Bisons are going to hurt us, they will have to beat us doing other things," said Huskie head coach Barry Rawlyk.

Fifth-year guard Keiran Zziwa led the Bisons in scoring with 22 points. Fourth-year guard Elijah Lostracco also added 15 points in the game.

The Huskies improve to 4-3 while the Bisons fall to 5-2 this season.

The final game for both teams in 2021 will happen tomorrow night at 7 PM at the PAC.