BU brutalized on home court

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This article was published 13/01/2025 (248 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s unusual to have to buy tickets for a funeral.

And when you attend one, you typically walk in knowing what to expect.

Just one night removed from an overtime thriller at the Healthy Living Centre, few fans could have predicted the way the Brandon University Bobcats (3-9) rolled over, died and were buried in real-time at the hands of the Manitoba Bisons (9-1) on Saturday.

It was humbling. It was humiliating. It was 92-45.

“They were so much more physical than us (Saturday). Right from the get-go they got into us. We turned the ball over like crazy,” said Bobcats coach Gil Cheung.

“They made some shots, but honestly I think we just got bullied on our home court.

“Give U of M credit. Let’s be honest, they’re top in the conference and I thought we matched their intensity (Friday) night and thought we competed. (Saturday) it got ugly pretty fast.”

The Bobcats haven’t lost by that much since nearly eight years ago when the UBC Thunderbirds routed them 127-62 in Vancouver.

They tied their worst offensive output in Cheung’s 14-year tenure, and that was near the end of his debut season in 2011, when Brandon was just about eliminated from playoff contention.

And nights like Saturday were to be expected in a rebuilding year.

While star senior Sultan Bhatti has willed the Bobcats to a few surprise victories when young guys stepped up, the merciless beating Brandon took left the veterans who won’t be around much longer to face a tough reality.

Two years ago they were one shot from the Canada West final four. Last season, an unlucky draw prevented one of the most exciting Bobcat teams in recent memory from surpassing the quarterfinals as the eventual champion Victoria Vikes did them in.

Now, sitting one spot out of the playoffs in the new Prairie Division, behind 3-7 Alberta, the path suddenly feels unlikely.

“We can’t catch fire as much anymore. We can’t,” said forward Blake Magnusson. “We don’t have any guys anymore, or we have one or two maybe who can get it going and light it up but it’s not like years past and we have to realize that.

“We’re struggling. We’re hitting two, three threes every half. At the end of the day, that’s not good enough, ever.”

A night after Mason Kraus caught fire and willed his team to an overtime victory with 22 of his 28 points after halftime, the veteran guard cooked the Bobcats for another eight in the first quarter to open up a 22-9 advantage.

BU made three of 15 shots from the field in a woeful offensive display against a team built to play with the lead.

As soon as Bhatti cut into the deficit with a three and a layup, the Bisons pieced together an 8-0 run by taking advantage of their size mismatches across the board.

Manitoba’s starting unit was enough but Andre Gray II came off the bench for a quick 14 points on seven shots to put the visitors up 41-20 at halftime.

They didn’t need to stay hot but they did, making it clear these two programs are simply in different places right now.

They had four double-digit scorers while Bhatti, with just 13, was the only one over eight for Brandon. The Bobcats went 3-for-20 from beyond the arc while the Bisons made 12 of 33.

Manitoba posted 27 assists and 13 turnovers to Brandon’s 11 and 23.

“We try to make an adjustment on our pick-and-roll coverage on Kraus — it had nothing to do with that,” Cheung said.

“They bullied us. They were more physical than we were, they killed us on the glass. That’s not on our guys but the energy was not there (Saturday) and that’s on everybody.”

So the Bobcats move into another tough weekend at home against the Mount Royal Cougars (8-4) this Friday and Saturday.

They have a bye afterwards, then visit Calgary and Winnipeg, who are both 8-2.

Brandon closes at home against Saskatchewan (0-10), but a probable weekend sweep only helps if the last spot is still within reach.

Odds are the Bobcats have to steal at least two of the next few games.

“It’s possible. This team’s done it not too long ago. We just gotta keep pushing every day,” Magnusson said.

“It’s going to come from inside, who’s got the heart and who doesn’t want it? If you don’t want to be here … then don’t come. Whoever wants to be here and play, they’re going to have to show it this week, next week and on.”

» tfriesen@brandonsun.com

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