KAMLOOPS, B.C. – It was a close game right to the end but the Trinity Western Spartans women's basketball team was handed a 70-67 loss in its season opener Friday at the Tournament Capital Centre. 
 
Nicole Fransson (Edmonton) led the way for the Spartans offensively, contributing 24 points and 17 rebounds. Kianna Wiens (Regina, Sask.) added 16 points, while Jolene Vlieg (Leduc, Alta.) added 12 for TWU. 

Emma Piggin led the Wolfpack on offence with 18 points and seven rebounds. 

Thompson Rivers came out of the gate strong, as Piggin led the way with seven points and three rebounds as TRU led 23-17 after the first quarter.

The Spartans came out strong in the second quarter cutting the deficit to five going on an 11-3 run to open it. With five and a half minutes left in the quarter, Fransson, the Canada West all-rookie team member from last year, hit a wide open shot as the Spartans took their first lead of the game

The Wolfpack ran into foul trouble in the second quarter as both Piggin and Jordin Wilkinson wound up on the bench with three fouls a piece. Despite having 14 turnovers compared to the Wolfpacks three, TWU led 41-32 going into half.

In the third quarter, the Wolfpack chipped at the Spartans lead and cut the deficit to one at 50-49. Thompson Rivers had a chance to take the lead with five second left but Jordan Robb's three pointer missed the mark.  

In the fourth, Piggin's second effort gave TRU an early lead 51-50 — their first since the first quarter. The score seesawed and with 5:30 left, as TWU's Vlieg drained a three pointer to lead 60-57. 

Later, with 23.1 seconds left in the game Piggin got the ball in traffic and was able to get the ball up while off balance for a 68-67 Thompson Rivers lead. With time running out, Trinity Western picked up two fouls to get the Pack into 'bonus'  Haggarty  was sent to the line and made her foul shots to ice the victory. 
 
The Spartans record falls to 0-1 while the Wolfpack improve to 1-0 in the regular season. 
 
QUOTABLE
Cheryl Jean-Paul – TWU Head Coach
 
"Every game will have something to teach us and we learnt the hard way today. Too many turnovers that created a lot of chances for them and giving up some big shots and isolation scores really hurt. We had a few spotlights and great moments though and we need to build on those, take care of the ball and get a few more stops in a row to compete tomorrow. 
 
"We can only gain experience one game at a time and tough close losses are sometimes the best long-term lessons. We're looking forward to the rematch."
 
NOTABLE

• 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. 
• Last year, the Spartans finished with a 12-8 overall record before narrowly falling to UNBC in the Canada West play-in game.

NEXT UP
Both teams will battle again on Saturday (Nov 2) at the Tournament Capital Centre, with tip off set for 5 p.m. (PT). 
 
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.
 
-TW-