LANGLEY, British Columbia – The Trinity Western men's basketball team hung tight with Alberta for the first half, but was unable to contain the Bears over the second 20 minutes as the Spartans fell 85-66 Saturday at the Langley Events Centre.

After TWU closed the gap to just two points at halftime, 38-36, the Bears came out a more determined group in the second half and pulled away midway through third quarter before burying the Spartans in a decisive fourth quarter.

Despite the Spartans (0-4) shooting just 36.8 per cent from the field in the first half, they were right with the Bears (3-1), who shot 44.0 per cent, over the first 20 minutes. But in the third quarter, Alberta outscored TWU 24-17 and then in the fourth outscored the home side 23-13 en route to the weekend sweep.

The difference came largely from the free throw line as Alberta earned 35 trips and made 27 free throws. The Spartans were a measly six for seven from the line. The Spartans also committed 24 turnovers to Alberta's 10.

The Spartans will continue look for their first win of the season next weekend when they host Lethbridge Nov. 14-15. Alberta will return home to play UBC on Nov. 14-15.

The Spartans were led by Kelvin Smith (Los Angeles), who had 14 points and six rebounds, and first-year Kosia Kauw (Coquitlam, B.C.), who made his first start with TWU and had a game-high 12 boards to go with nine points. Fellow freshman Nick Tancon (Nanaimo, B.C.) also had a strong night, playing 21 minutes and collecting six points and four boards.

"I was very impressed with Kosia's energy," said Spartans coach Scott Allen. "He deserved to get the start and he played well. Nick Tancon also had a stellar game and between the two of them, they logged 45 minutes.

"Other than those two, as a team, we just can't seem to look after the ball and we're not seeing things properly. But we'll regroup and get ready for Lethbridge next weekend."

Mamadou Gueye, who had 20 points and seven rebounds, and Kenneth Otieno, who had 19 points and nine rebounds, led the Bears attack. Joel Friesen added 16 points. With his 19 points Otieno eclipsed the 1000-point mark in his Canada West conference career.

The first quarter saw the teams trade baskets until Alberta turned a 12-10 lead into a 19-10 advantage. From there, Alberta pushed its lead to 23-14 by the end of the frame.

In the second quarter, TWU pushed back and with the Spartans trailing 27-17, TWU launched a 12-2 run that knotted the game at 29-29. Alberta nudged ahead in the late stages and went into the break leading 38-36.

The Bears surged ahead in the third quarter, going up 56-44, but the Spartans closed the gap to five points, after a Jesse Jeffers (North Vancouver, B.C.) 3-pointer made it 56-51. But from there, Alberta pulled away and opened up a 62-53 lead going to the fourth quarter.

In the fourth, the Bears kept rolling and cruised to a 19-point win.

Game Notes: The last time TWU started a season with four straight losses was in 2007-08…the Spartans snapped the skid with a 103-88 home win over Lethbridge…under coach Allen, TWU has never opened the conference schedule 0-4…TWU out-rebounded Alberta 39-31.

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