VICTORIA – The University of Manitoba Bisons battled back to defeat the University of Victoria Vikes 91-83 on Saturday night at the CARSA Performance Gym.

For much of the evening, it felt like the Vikes (13-5) were going to pull off the weekend sweep over the No. 3 ranked team in the Canada West. The Bisons (15-3) trailed for 34:11 minutes and by as much as 13 at half. The Vikes even led 67-60 with 10 minutes to go in regulation.

Led by their point guard Rashawn Browne, the Bisons went on a four-minute run in the final frame and flipped the game on its head.

The Bisons took their first lead late in the fourth following a three by James Wagner, a pretty no-look backhanded pass from Browne to Cameron O'Hara and a steal followed with a finish at the rim by Andre Arruda, who finished with 17 points on eight shots.

"They kept pressing us, got into us on the defensive end a bit and we made too many mistakes down the stretch to beat a good team like that," said Vikes Head Coach Craig Beaucamp.

Browne was the reason the Bisons were in it late. The Toronto product was on from the jump to the final buzzer, as he filled it up for 34 points. It marked the third time this season he cracked the 30-point barrier.

The fifth-year's athleticism thrilled the crowd once again, as he kept defenders off balance with his herky-jerky dribbles, waited for an opening before exploding to the basket for 14 first half points.

His counterpart, Scott Kellum, didn't back down from the battle of the guards, as he efficiently racked up 10 points on six shots in the first half. As he's been known to do, Kellum took over in the second half and tied his season high with 25 points, which included a 4-for-9 night from the land beyond.

Jason Scully was nearly perfect in the first quarter for the Vikes, as he posted 11 points on five shots. In an interesting turn of events, the fourth-year local forward didn't attempt one field goal in the second quarter. His night ended with 17 points, three rebounds and three assists.

Browne certainly didn't have the same secondary help he had in the series opener. After the end of three quarters, he was the only Bison in double figures.

Aside from Wagner's important three during the Bisons comeback, he was more of a playmaker this evening, as he tied Kellum for a game high eight assists to go with his 13 points on seven shots.

By the time O'Hara started to rack up his totals (12 points, seven rebounds), Browne was firing on all cylinders. He drilled a step-back three over Kellum and another over Hayden Lejeune, used ball fakes to open up lanes around the rim and made it to the free throw line nine times.

After a less-than-desirable shooting performance last night for Lejeune, he bounced back with a double-double (17 points, 11 rebounds) in his final regular season home game as a Vike. He was finished the shots he missed last night and even stepped out into the midrange for a jumper over O'Hara.

"I'm very proud of how resilient Hayden has been. Last year he suffered a really bad back injury that could have taken him out of basketball, but he stayed with the program, has been a loyal player for years and he is now playing a prominent role for us," said Beaucamp. "I'm very proud of him."

With 20 seconds remaining last night, Vikes starting forward Matthew Ellis sustained a lower-body injury and was forced to leave the game. Not dressing tonight, Carlos Costa inserted himself into the lineup and immediately contributed with seven points and six rebounds in the first half. The Brazilian was a major reason why the Vikes led 15-0 in second chance points in the first half.

"With us, there's no magic, it's literally the next man up. Tonight, I thought Carlos Costa stepped in and played good minutes for us and we will need more of that until we get our injured players back," said Beaucamp.

The Bisons return home next weekend to conclude their regular season by hosting the Brandon University Bobcats (5-13), while the Vikes are in Langley to close out their regular season slate against the Trinity Western University Spartans (0-18).