KAMLOOPS, B.C. – For the second consecutive night the Spartans women's basketball team lost to the Thompson Rivers Wolfpack, falling 60-50 at the Tournament Capital Centre.
The loss drops the Spartans record to 0-2, while the win improves the Wolfpack to 2-0 on the season.
TWU's offence was led by first year guard
Jayden Gill's (Abbotsford, B.C.) 15 points and second year forward
Nicole Fransson (Edmonton) who added 14.
TRU was led by Leilani Carney and Emma Piggin, as both fifth year guards each had 12 points.
Fransson had six points in the first quarter along
Lana Shypit (Winnipeg), with TWU down entering the second frame.
The second quarter saw the Spartans out rebound the Wolfpack 13-4, but it was TRU increasing its lead to seven (32-25).
Into the final quarter it was the Wolfpack holding a 16-point advantage at 46-30, but the Spartans worked on slowly closing the gap.
Moving within two points at one point, the Wolfpack eventually pulled away late to win their second straight over TWU.
QUOTABLE
Cheryl Jean-Paul – TWU Head Coach
"Tonight was tough - second night games are always a battle, both teams trying to find what works with TRU getting their looks sooner and more often than we did. It's tough to compete when you let the score dictate your effort, but after a slow 3rd quarter I thought the team responded with the energy and team play that we were hoping to see for the entire second half.
"I think we proved that we can get it done when we have the will to, but we can't beat ourselves, that's our opponent's job. We will learn from this and get back to work this week."
NOTABLE
- Before the weekend, TWU was coming off a pair of preseason wins against Lethbridge (72-59) and Mount Royal (66-62).
- The Spartans last played Thompson Rivers during the 2017-18 season, sweeping the season series going 3-0.
- The Spartans out rebounded the TRU 40-36, along with 16 turnovers to the Wolfpacks 14.
NEXT UP
The Spartans will return to Langley for their home opening series Friday and Saturday (Nov. 8-9) playing host to the UNBC Timberwolves at the Langley Events Centre.
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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