Box Score VICTORIA, British Columbia –Playing without starting point guard, Tyus Allen (White Rock, B.C.) the Trinity Western Spartans men's basketball team lost their final game of the 2014-15 Canada West season 92-63 to the Victoria Vikes Saturday night on Ken and Kathy Shields Court at McKinnon Gymnasium in Victoria.
Spartans fifth-year seniors Denny McDonald (Mississauga, Ont.) and Justin Bakuteka (Toronto, Ont.) ended their university careers with strong showings, both scoring double digits. Bakuteka logged 22 points, while McDonald had 14.
For the Vikes, four players posted double digits on the score sheet. Fourth-year point guard Marcus Tibbs was the leading scorer, logging 20 points and senior Chris McLaughlin had 18 points and eight rebounds. Second years Jordan Charles and Junior Sesay were also heavy contributors, adding 14 and 11 points, respectively.
In the final Canada West conference game at McKinnon Gym the Vikes got off to a strong start and led 28-11 after the first quarter. The Spartans would narrow the gap slighting by the half as they trailed 44-30 after 20 minutes of play.
A run of Vikes three pointers highlighted the early minutes of the third quarter as Marcus Tibbs nabbed two treys and Mack Roth shot another from behind the arc. Although the Vikes continued to lead, a back-and-forth affair was the theme for most of the quarter. In the final minute, third-year transfer Grant Sitton sank a jumper proceeded by a sizzling three to get the crowd on their feet. Naturally, Spartans veteran Bakuteka responded immediately in the other end with a three and a few from the line as the Spartans trailed 69-50 heading into the final frame.
Victoria continued to outpace Trinity Western in the final 10 minutes, outscoring TWU 23-13 to make the final 92-63 for the Vikes.
Victoria finish second in the Pioneers Division now, behind the Saskatchewan Huskies who swept both games this weekend.
This wraps up the year for the Trinity Western Spartans who finish 2-18. The CIS No. 7 Vikes will continue their trek towards qualifying for the CIS Final 8 but end their regular season with an 18-5 record.
The Vikes get a bye straight into the Canada West quarter-finals and will host the Alberta Golden Bears in a best-of-three series. Those games will take place on Feb. 27 (7 p.m.), Feb. 28 (7 p.m.), and, if needed, Mar. 1 (2 p.m.) at McKinnon Gym.
The Spartans Justin Bakuteka finishes his four year TWU career with 815 points, 204 rebounds, 122 assists and 100 rebounds, while teammate Denny McDonald finishes with 798 points, 362 rebounds, 54 steals and 34 blocked shots. This season McDonald averaged 12.8 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game, while Bakuteka led TWU with 17.1 points per game, 3.5 rebounds per game and 2.3 steals per game.
Game Notes: The Vikes shot 47.9 percent, 34-71, from the field, while the Spartans shot 39 percent, 23-59…TWU had 13 turnovers to Victoria's six…the Vikes also had the edge in rebounding 35-32 over the Spartans…Tonight's game was also the final game for TWU head coach Scott Allen. He finishes his seven years at TWU with a record of 105 wins and 103 losses, with one trip to the CIS championship final and a CIS Silver medal in 2010-11…
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