KAMLOOPS, British Columbia – The Trinity Western men's basketball team suffered a 74-48 loss to Thompson Rivers Saturday night.

The Spartans started strong and trailed by just three points after the first quarter, but the WolfPack outscored TWU 57-34 of the final three quarters to earn a convincing win.

TWU was led by Kelvin Smith (Los Angeles), who had 15 points, while both Lucas Mannes (Chilliwack, B.C.) and Patrick Vandervelden (Abbotsford, B.C.) added seven points each. Mannes also had a team-high seven rebounds.

As a team, TWU shot 25.7 per cent from the field and was just four for 28 from 3-point range. The WolfPack shot 43.9 per cent from the field and was nine for 25 from beyond the arc.

"Despite what the final score looked like, we came to play tonight," said Spartans coach Aaron Muhic. "Matt Blackaby (Maple Ridge, B.C.) and Lucas led the way on the defensive end by setting the tone. Kelvin Smith was strong with his rebounding and scoring. Matt Hayashi (Langley) and Patrick were very tough in the paint. We all know we have some growing to do on both ends of the floor, but I'm proud of our effort and attention to detail."

The Spartans are back on the court Oct. 30 and 31 when they host Evergreen State and Mount Royal in their final two preseason contests.

-TW-