The University of Regina's men's basketball team surrendered 19 consecutive points to Manitoba in the third quarter and never recovered, ending up with an 83-74 road loss to the Bisons as both teams opened up their Canada West schedules on Friday at the Investors Group Athletic Centre.

The Cougars led for the entire first half and took a seven-point lead into halftime, but that evaporated in a hurry when play resumed after the break. Manitoba's 19 straight points were part of a 24-2 run over seven minutes in the third quarter which turned what had been an eight-point Regina lead into a 64-50 advantage for the Bisons.

Manitoba led by as many as 18 and a surge by the Cougars which saw them score nine straight points was too little, too late as the visitors weren't ever to make it any closer than a six-point ball game with 30 seconds remaining.

Justus Alleyn led Manitoba (1-0) with a game-high 25 points. James Wagner (18 points), Rashawn Browne (13), and Joey Nitychoruk (11) also hit double figures in scoring for the Bisons.

Brian Ofori had a double-double for the Cougars, finishing with 15 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Alex Igual had a team-leading 21 points, while Samuel Hillis came off the bench to score 11 points for the U of R.

The Cougars (0-1) will get another crack at Manitoba on Saturday night at the IGAC.