LANGLEY, British Columbia – The Trinity Western Spartans and the Calgary Dinos had an entertaining match-up Saturday night at the Langley Events Centre. The Dinos would end up prevailing 76-63 after the two teams battled back-and-forth over the 40 minutes of Canada West women's basketball action. The win moves the Dinos to 11-4, while the loss drops the Spartans to 3-9. 

Tessa Ratzlaff with 18 points and seven rebounds, Jessie Brown with 18 points, three rebounds and three assists, and Kayla Gordon with 13 points, four assists, three rebounds and three steals led the TWU attack. For the Dinos it was Claire Colborne with 14 points and nine rebounds, and Kristie Sheils and Kelsey Lund with 15 points each on top of the stat sheet. 

TWU's Luca Schmidt had a solid game at the point for TWU finishing with seven rebounds, six points and six assists. 

"I liked the focus that we started the game with. There have been games this year that we have started having to dig ourselves out of a hole. Today they rose to the occasion of the challenge that I put before them. To be ready for what is coming rather than reacting to what happens," commented TWU head coach Cheryl Jean-Paul. "There were offensive opportunities that we created that we were able to finish. I thought we were able to play off of good stops and get good offensive looks, which we have struggled with." 

"I thought that the first quarter was better than yesterday's first quarter. We had one of our better second quarters, probably one of our better ones in a while. But when you awaken the dragon you have to be ready for what is to come right after that. Calgary made a really strong push in the second half. And I thought we were learning how to respond to that in stretches, but we still have to learn how to respond to that for the remaining 20 minutes of the game." 

"As a coaching staff that is the way that we feel that we can play as a team." 

The Spartans had a solid start to the game scoring the first four points as they matched up with the Dinos through the first five minutes. With just over two minutes remaining and the Spartans trailing by two points, 14-12, the Dinos went on a run. At the end of the quarter Calgary had used a 8-3 run to lead 22-15 after 10 minutes. 

TWU had a better second quarter. Calgary looked to be running away after Kristie Sheils three pointer put the Dinos up eight, 33-25, with just under three minutes remaining. But TWU forward Kayla Gordon would go on a personal 7-0 run to cut Calgary's lead to one point, 33-32 heading into the half time break. The Spartans would outscore the Dinos 17-11 in the quarter. 

The third quarter continued where the second ended. TWU continued their strong play at they took the lead 37-35 after a Jessie Brown three pointer with 8:45 remaining in the quarter. With just over five minutes remaining Calgary held the slim one point lead, 43-42. The Dinos were able to extend their lead to five points, 56-51, at the end of the 30 minutes after a Kelsey Lund layup with seven seconds remaining the quarter. 

Calgary outscored TWU 10-to-3 to start the fourth quarter and lead 66-54 and force the Spartans into a timeout. Fatigue looked to be a factor for the Spartans as they were unable to close the gap. The two teams finished the game exchanging baskets and misses as the Dinos held their double-digit lead through the remainder of the game. In the end Calgary would walk away with 76-63 win. 

"Being able to play at this level requires a maturity in efficiency and it is still something that our athletes are learning. They play hard and they were playing really hard today. However, there is a point that you have to understand that I have to play effectively, rather than just running up and down the floor." 

"Calgary makes you work so hard on your defensive rotations and I thought that we handled a lot of their rotations. But you miss one rotation and it results in a three point shot. For some of our players to be able to play a game like that for 35, 36, 37 minutes on the floor is something that we continue to work towards." 

The Spartans will continue their home stand next week when they host the Brandon Bobcats. Game times at the LEC on Fri. Jan. 29 and Sat. Jan. 30 are set for 6 p.m. and 5 p.m. The Dinos will have a week off before hosting the Lethbridge Pronghorns Feb. 5 and Feb. 6. 

Game Notes: the Dinos bench outscored the TWU bench 29-4…TWU finished the night 25-60, while Calgary finished 26-60 from the field…the Dinos had a 38-32 rebounding edge…both teams finished with 17 assists… 

-TW-