WINNIPEG - Thanks to an efficient 22 points from Isaac Simon, Golden Bears Basketball responded with an 81-76 win over Winnipeg, salvaging a series split. Alberta took the lead 90 seconds in the first quarter, and never looked back, leading by as many as 12. 

In the win, Simon also became the 15th Golden Bear to reach 1,000 career conference points. 

Simon paced Alberta with 22 points, shooting 9–15 while adding five rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Caiden Kushnir delivered a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, including several key putbacks and defensive boards.

Off the bench, Nash Semeniuk and Nate Waldron each scored 10 points, including Semeniuk hitting two threes, and Waldron going a perfect 2-for-2 at the line and adding five rebounds. Ethan Egert contributed six points, three rebounds, and two blocks, while Fahad Yusuf added eight points with two timely threes.

Winnipeg was led by Ryan Luke, who posted 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Elijah Mensah added 14 and Malachi Alexander scored 13.

First Quarter

Winnipeg opened with an early three from Donald Stewart, but Alberta responded with a 6–0 run capped by a Simon layup at 6:59. Kushnir added a dunk at 5:18 off a feed from Matthew Osunde, and Waldron finished inside at 3:34. Semeniuk's three at 3:14 stretched the Bears' lead, and Simon closed the quarter with back-to-back buckets for a seven-point advantage.

Second Quarter

The teams traded baskets early before Alberta built a 27–20 lead on two free throws from Waldron at 6:50. Winnipeg answered with threes from Mensah and Gordo, trimming the gap to 29–27. Alberta surged again as Yusuf hit a three at 4:29, and Waldron added a layup and tip-in to push the lead to 37–30. A late Simon jumper at 2:01 helped Alberta enter halftime up 44–36.

Third Quarter

Simon opened the half with a layup at 9:50, and Varner drilled a three at 7:32 to make it 51–44. Semeniuk followed with a three at 5:13, and Osunde connected from mid-range at 3:57. Logan Powell added a fast-break three at 3:01, and Kushnir converted a layup plus a free throw at 1:13 as Alberta built its largest lead of the night at 65–53.

Fourth Quarter

Winnipeg tightened defensively and chipped away, powered by Luke, who hit a three at 7:26 and later added back-to-back jumpers. Yusuf pushed Alberta ahead 78–68 with a three at 1:03, but Winnipeg trimmed the margin to five on Emmanuel Ugbah's triple at 0:44. Alberta sealed the win at the line with four straight free throws—two from Yusuf and two from Simon — closing out an 81–76 road victory.