LANGLEY, British Columbia – The Trinity Western men's basketball team scored the first 11 points of the game, but then Winnipeg woke up and took over as they rallied for a 93-76 win Friday at the Langley Events Centre.

Winnipeg had five players hit double-digits in scoring and shot 52.1 per cent from the field to improve to 11-6 on the season. TWU, who shot 43.8 per cent, saw its record fall to 1-16.

The Wesmen had a decided advantage in turnovers as they committed just nine to the Spartans 26.

After taking a 26-25 first quarter lead, the Wesmen kicked it up a few gears in the second quarter, out-scoring TWU 26-14 to take the lead for good.

Winnipeg was led by Mark McNee, who had 18 points and five rebounds, while Christopher Baxter had 17 points and three steals. Jelane Pryce also had 17 points while Travis Krahn chipped in with 13 and Denzel Lynch-Blair added 10. Jordan Clennon had a team-high six rebounds to go with eight points.

The Spartans Justin Bakuteka (Toronto) had a game-high 20 points while Denny McDonald (Mississauga, Ont.) had 16 points and seven rebounds. Kelvin Smith (Los Angeles) had a double-double with 12 rebounds and 10 points.

"The guys put a good effort forward and we were right there for most of the game, but we just can't turn the corner," said Spartans coach Scott Allen. "We got opportunities to get back into the game, but then we turned the ball over and they capitalized on transition points and we couldn't recover. The guys are giving all they have. We had some big games from Denny and Justin today and Kelvin rebounded well. In some ways were there and in other ways we have a long way to go."

The Spartans roared out to an 11-0 lead in the first quarter and forced the Wesmen into an early timeout. However, Winnipeg bounced right back and took a 26-25 lead into the second quarter. Bakuteka had 10 points for the Spartans while Krahn led the way for the visitors with nine points.

In the second quarter, Winnipeg kept its momentum rolling from the first quarter and outscored TWU 26-14 to take a 52-39 halftime lead. Both teams shot 54.8 per cent from the field, but TWU was 17 for 31 while Winnipeg was 23 for 42.

The Spartans pushed back in the third quarter, out-scoring Winnipeg 17-15, but still trailed by 11 points, 67-56, going into the fourth quarter.

In the final frame, Winnipeg continued to roll and cruised to a 17-point win.

"Instead of guys trying to do it on their own, we need to commit to playing as a team," Allen said. "We have three games left to learn how to do that and that in itself will be a success."

Game Notes: The Spartans out-rebounded Winnipeg 47-32, including a 17-6 edge on the offensive glass…TWU was four for 20 from 3-point range while Winnipeg was 7 for 19…the Spartans will look for their first home win of the season in their final game at the LEC Saturday…TWU will honour graduating seniors Bakuteka and McDonald in a pregame ceremony on Saturday.

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