The Manitoba Bisons were knocked out of championship contention at the U Sports Men’s Basketball championship in Halifax, N.S.
Making their first appearance at nationals in more than 30 years, the Herd lost their quarterfinal match 63-53 to the McGill Redmen on Thursday afternoon.
AJ Basi and Keith Omoerah each had 13 points in the loss to lead the Bisons. Omoerah also had nine rebounds and four assists.
The Bisons trailed by eight points after the opening quarter but closed the gap in the second to trail 35-30 at the half. But McGill outscored the Bisons in each the third and fourth quarters to earn the victory.
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Third seeded McGill advances to Saturdays semifinal while the sixth seeded Bisons will now play the seventh ranked Calgary Dinos in a consolation semifinal on Friday at 4 p.m. CT.
After starting off the season with a 2-6 record the Bisons qualified for the national championship for the first time since the 1985-86 season by winning a silver medal in the Canada West Final Four. The University of Manitoba’s only national championship in men’s basketball came way back in 1976.