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In yet another CIS game that went down to the wire, Manitoba’s NJCAA transfer Issac Ansah (Winnipeg Glenlawn Collegiate via North Dakota State College of Science) made one-of-two free throws with 2 seconds remaining to give the visiting Manitoba Bisons a 75-74 win over Winnipeg. Wesmen star guard Erfan Nasajpour had tied the game up on the prior possession with a dramatic three. The Bisons rallied from a 12 point halftime deficit for the win in which Manitoba welcomed the return of Ansah, who missed last weekend’s Bison/Wesmen matchup due to injury. The teams meet again on Saturday at U of M. Ansah finished with a game-high 23 points, while Brian Crowe had a double-double (21 points, 12 boards) for Manitoba. Winnpeg Sun article (women's and men's games) PLUS Report from U of M web site AND Wesmen Web Site

The Bisons also announced that they have secured a pair of recruits for next season, bringing Dan Purvis-Collins and Trevor Assels into the fold. Purvis-Collins is a 6-foot-3 forward who's currently finishing up his Grade 12 season with Winnipeg’s Churchill Bulldogs. Assels is a 6-foot-8 post player who plays with Lakeland in the Alberta community college league.

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The second half starts in earnest this weekend with some solid matchups across the country. The action starts in Halifax as Acadia visits St. Mary’s for a 4 point game. Interesting 8 PM eastern time games include Toronto at #1 Carleton; Concordia at Laval and York at Queen’s. Out west, Alberta and Calgary renew their rivalry with the first of two back-to-backers while the UBC T-Birds host Simon Fraser in the first of a home-and-home in the cross-town rivalry.

Tonight's games available over the Internet:
9 PM Eastern - Ryerson at Ottawa (video) Gee-Gees Webcast link (NOTE: All Gee-Gees home games were scheduled to be webcasted however a recent visit to this site could not find any reference to the webcasts.)
11 PM Eastern - Trinity Western at UVic (radio) Listen Live! on Vikes Campus Radio link

Complete CIS Schedule and Previews for Fri. January 5th, 2007

AUS
7 PM Acadia (3-3­) at Saint Mary's (3-2): In a matchup of two of the finest players in the CIS and both former City of Toronto All-Stars, Acadia, led by 6’1” Paolo Santana (Toronto Central Commerce) visits St. Mary’s, led by Aaron Duncan (’02-’03 Toronto Player of the Year at Eastern Commerce). The Axemen finished the first half very strong and just defeated the Huskies this past weekend in the 3rd place game of the Shoveller tournament. This is already the fifth meeting of the season between the two teams but only one has counted for regular season points, a 4 point win by St.Mary’s at Acadia on November 10th.

Great article from last season on Aaron Duncan and the value of academics

QSSF
8 PM #6 Concordia (5-0) at Laval (3-2): The Stingers have yet another tough road game at Laval, where the Rouge et Or are very tough to beat. Coach Jacques Paiment's perennially strong crew have battled injuries all season long and are likely to be without at least 4 regulars including 6’7” star forward J.P. Morin, who also missed last weekend’s tournament at Bishop’s. After spotting Laval an early 15 point lead on 25 November, the Stingers came back for a 96-78 victory in Montreal, as Patrick Perrotte went off in the second half, in the only other meeting between the 2 perennial Quebec league contenders.

8 PM Bishop's (1-4) at UQAM (0-5): The Gaiters are fresh off their tournament win and hope to put some distance between themselves and QAM for the fourth and final playoff spot in the QSSF. In a prior league meeting, Bishop’s overcame an early 16 point deficit to defeat QAM 86-82 in Lennoxville in front of 1,000 fans.

OUA East
8 PM Toronto (4-4) at #1 Carleton (8-0): The Blues look to break a long losing streak to Carleton with a victory at the Raven’s Nest, hoping to move to within 3 games of the OUA East leaders. Toronto’s 6’9” fifth-year center Mike Williams looks to exploit the smaller Carleton lineup inside while expect Blues defensive stopper Dwayne Grant to have his fair share of possessions guarding defending Mike Moser Award winner Osvaldo Jeanty. The Ravens will rely on a stronger overall second half from 6’7” Aaron Doornekamp and expect 6’6” Sheldon Stewart to begin to log more minutes as he gets more comfortable after redshirting in ’05-’06.

8 PM Laurentian (2-6) at RMC (1-7): The Vees hope to shake off some of the bad luck they experienced in the first half against the resilient and hard-playing Paladins. RMC desperately needs a victory to remain in the playoff hunt while Laurentian looks to move closer to the sixth and final playoff spot.

8 PM York (6-2) at Queen's (5-3): This is a key game for both teams, even this early in the second half, both of which aspire to challenge for a first-round bye in the OUA East playoffs. The Lions, who expect All-Canadian Tut Ruach to return after missing the first half, can reestablish themselves as contenders for first place with a key road win. The Gaels fared well in British Columbia but played as recently as Tuesday night out west before traveling back home to Kingston. Look for York to try to exploit their definite size advantage offensively however it will be interesting to see how the Lions choose to defend the smaller, quicker Gaels.

9 PM Ryerson (3-5) at #5 Ottawa (7-1): The Rams are still showing signs of inconsistency as some big road wins (at Waterloo and at Laurier) have been offset with a pair of losses at home in their recent tournament to UPEI and Cape Breton. 6’10” Igor Bakovic seems to always play well against the Gee-Gees and 6’2” Brandon Krupa is emerging as Ryerson’s go-to guy from the perimeter. For Ottawa, they are undefeated at home this season at 7-0 against CIS competition and need a win to stay near the top of the OUA East. Note the later starting time since Montpetit Hall is also the site of a CIS women's volleyball tournament this weekend.

OUA West
8 PM Lakehead (0-8) at Waterloo (3-5): These teams meet Friday and Saturday in Waterloo and the Warriors need a pair of wins on the weekend to have any hope of hosting a playoff game and even a single loss could hamper their playoff chances. Second-year guard David Burnett is emerging as Waterloo’s next star player but will need support from fifth-year seniors Matt Kieswetter and Michael Davis. The T-Wolves rely on 6’6” Warren Thomas, the U.S. import from Washington, DC who has consistently led Lakehead in scoring and rebounding this season. Still, Lakehead remains winless against CIS competition (league and non-conference play) including a recent loss to Thompson Rivers, which recorded their first win this season against CIS competition.

Canada West
10 PM Alberta (7-3) at Calgary (3-7): After handing the Dinos back-to-back thrashings (by 15 and 30 points) in their first two league meetings at the end of November, Alberta lost a close two point game last Saturday at home on the final day of the Golden Bear Invitational that they had already cliched the championship of. The Dinos hope that finally getting the Bears at home after three games in Edmonton will help them move back into the race for top spot in the Canada West Central. The Bears look to remain ahead of Saskatchewan, who plays Lethbridge twice at home.

10 PM Lethbridge (3-7) at Saskatchewan (6-4): The ‘Horns and Huskies split a pair of games in November with Lethbridge winning by 12 and Saskatchewan responding the next night with a 22 point victory. Saskatchewan is coming off one of the most exciting games in their history, a triple overtime loss to Northern Montana while Lethbridge had an encouraging 88-67 pounding of Laurier in the consolation round of the Wesmen Classic.

11 PM Trinity Western (7-5) at #4 Victoria (10-1): These teams, who play back-to-back games on the island tonight and Saturday, last met in October with the Vikes coming out with a decisive 97-61 victory. Trinity Western is battling Simon Fraser for third place in the Canada West Pacific while Victoria needs both these wins to remain in contention for first place and arguably remain in the Top 10.

11 PM Regina (4-6) at Thompson Rivers (0-10): TRU just won their first game against CIS competition by defeating Lakehead (winless against CIS competition). Regina needs a win to stay close to their competition in the Canada West Great Plains conference.

11 PM Simon Fraser (7-5) at #2 UBC (11-0): The cross-town rivals engage in a home-and-home series in which no less than a pair of wins for the Clan are required if they have any hope of competing for first place. Earlier this season in October, the Clan found themselves in foul trouble early and the Thunderbirds rallied back from an eight point deficit to win the game 79-68. UBC needs a pair of wins in advance of next weekend’s trip to Brandon.

11 PM #9 Brandon (8-2) at UCFV (2-10): The Bobcats look to keep their spot atop the Great Plains division while first-year side Fraser Valley has been competitive in their initial season in Canada West but have only a pair of wins against winless Thompson Rivers to show for their regular season thus far. This is the first meeting ever between Brandon and Fraser Valley in Canada West league play.