SASKATOON, Sask. – For the first time in over a month, the Huskie men's basketball was back on the court, hosting the Mount Royal Cougars on the Ron & Jane Graham Centre Court Friday night (Jan. 10). Despite playing a strong three quarters, the Huskies were unable to hang on, allowing 33 fourth-quarter points to the visiting team to fall 82-69 and suffer their ninth loss of the campaign.

With the loss the Dogs remain in search of their first win of the 2024-25 season with an 0-9 record. Meanwhile for the Cougars, they earn their seventh win and improve to 7-4. 

The Huskie effort was led by starting guard Emmanel Bonsu who put on his best performance of the season. The fourth-year product of Quebec recorded 26 points and eight rebounds on 9-of-15 shooting which included four triples. Easton Thimm also had another strong outing, recording his fifth double-double this season with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Mohamed Jabateh was the only other Huskie to reach double-digit points, totaling a season-high 11.

For the visiting Cougars, Keivonte Watts recorded 24 points in the win, making 10 field goals on 17 shot attempts. Three other Cougars surpassed the 10-point mark with Dray Walburger recording 11, Daniel Mulder 10, and Kuach Gajak 10.

After a tightly contested opening half, the Huskies outscored Mount Royal for the second consecutive frame in the third, taking a three-point advantage heading into the fourth. 

From that point on however, it was all Cougars as the visiting team outscored the Dogs 33-17. It was a 12-4 run with under three minutes to go which would put the game out of reach for the Dogs, with Mount Royal forcing three turnovers and connecting from range twice. 

Turnovers were the story of the game for the Dogs, with MRU earning 32 points off USask turnovers to just five from Saskatchewan. The Cougars also controlled the paint, earning a 48-28 advantage on the way to their seventh win.

The two teams will meet again on Saturday (Jan. 11) in the second game of their weekend doubleheader. Tipoff is set for 7:00 PM on the Ron & Jane Graham Centre Court at the Physical Activity Complex. Get your tickets at HuskieTickets.com or watch live on CanadaWest.tv, presented by BioSteel.