LANGLEY, British Columbia – The Trinity Western Spartans lost to the UBC Okanagan Heat 87-77 in a preseason overtime match Saturday afternoon at the Langley Events Centre in Langley, B.C.
Second year forward
Nicole Fransson (Edmonton) with 22 points, nine rebounds and five steals, third year guard
Kianna Wiens (Regina, Sask.) with 18 points, three rebounds, and three assists, and rookie guard
Jayden Gill (Abbotsford, B.C.) with 14 points and five rebounds led the Spartans. While Jaeli Ibbetson with 25 points, and nine rebounds and Alessia Brutto with 13 points and seven rebounds led the Heat.
The Heat led 17-14 after the first 10 minutes, but the Spartans were able to take a 39-36 lead into the half time break. UBC-O led 57-55 at the end of the third quarter, with the two teams tied at 75-75 at the end of regulation. The Heat took over in the extra five minutes outscoring the Spartans 12-2 to earn the 10 point victory.
QUOTABLE
TWU Head Coach Cheryl Jean-Paul
"You can't speed up experience. I thought that this was a great weekend for us to grow. We wanted to see what we looked like in a back-to-back games. This group has very little experience in back-to-back games and they need to learn how to grind it out. I thought we found a way to stay close for the entire game."
"Now we have game film on what it takes to win a close game when you have a lead. Every game has proven to be a great lesson for us. And our opportunity is to learn the positives on what we could have done and we will get it when it counts."
NOTABLE
• TWU lost 61-60 to UBC Okanagan Friday night.
• The Spartans are 13-3 lifetime against the Heat.
• TWU shot 41.3 percent (31-75) from the field, 24 percent (6-25) from the three point line and 60 percent (9-15) from the foul line, while UBC Okanagan shot 45.5 percent (30-66), 42.9 percent (6-14), and 72.4 percent (21-29) respectively.
• The Spartans had 40 rebounds, while the Heat had 47 rebounds.
UP NEXT
The Spartans will have a week off before hosting the Regina Cougars on Oct. 23. Game time at the Langley Events Centre – Building B is set for 8 p.m. PT. TWU opens CW conference play in Kamloops, B.C. on November 1 and 2 against the Thompson Rivers WolfPack. Both games can be seen live on Canadawest.tv.
About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 11 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, cross country and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes in the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League (BCIHL) in men's hockey and as an independent team in men's rugby. The men's and women's hockey programs will begin playing in Canada West and U SPORTS in 2020-21. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 12 U SPORTS team championships and 27 Canada West team championships and two BCIHL championships.
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