WINNIPEG – The Manitoba Bisons women's basketball team tipped off against the Brandon Bobcats Friday night at the Investors Group Athletic Centre. The Bisons came in winners of six straight against Brandon dating back to 2017. They extended that streak to seven with a 77-63 victory.

The win for the Bisons was their first of the conference season. Head coach Michelle Sung said it felt good to get the first out of the way.

"We had some really good moments in previous games, so we knew that if we put some runs together we would be in a good position to win," she said.

The Bisons came out of the gates strong with seven players finding the bottom of the basket in the first frame. The team-wide contributions propelled the Bisons to a 20-14 advantage after ten minutes.

First-year forward Samantha Onyebuchi exploded for eight points in the second quarter to give her a team-high 11 in the first half. The Bisons shot 50% from the field in the first half and carried a 44-35 lead into the locker room.

"We had a lot of extra passes that led to open shots," Sung said. "That's something we practice."

The Bobcats pushed back to start the second half scoring the first eight points of the third quarter.

"We came out of the break knowing if we didn't come out of the break with some positive energy, the game was going to get away from us," Bobcats head coach James Bambury said.

Manitoba's Lauren Bartlett put a halt to the Bobcats comeback with ten points in the third. The Bisons led 62-48 heading into the final frame and an uncontested three from Lana Shypit put the game away in the fourth quarter.

The win improves Manitoba's record to 1-4 on the season. The loss slides Brandon to 0-5.

The teams will meet again on Saturday at 5 p.m. for a rematch at the Investors Group Athletic Centre.