LANGLEY, B.C. – UNBC's Vova Pluzhnikov drove the basket and dropped in a last-second game-winning lay-up to give the Timberwolves an 88-86 win Saturday at the Langley Events Centre. 

After TWU's Jack Nadelhoffer (Tigard, Ore.) had tied the game on a steal and lay-up with 10 seconds left, Pluzhnikov took the ball and did it himself to win the game for the visitors. 

TWU had taken an 84-83 lead with 1:18 to go, but a 3-ponter from Saje Gosal put UNBC ahead by two and set the stage for a wild finish. 

Nadelhoffer finished the game with a career-high 26 points to go with nine rebounds to lead the Spartans, while Ja'Qualyn Gilbreath (Amarillo, Texas) had 16 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Adam Gehrig (Toowoomba, Australia) added 13 points and seven boards. Nadelhoffer's previous career-high was 19 points, which he put up last year against UBC Okanagan (Oct. 27, 2018).

Tyrell Laing led the Timberwolves with 23 points, while Pluzhnikov had 18 points and seven rebounds. 

UNBC shot 50 per cent (33-66) from the field and 34.5 per cent (10-29) from 3-point range, while TWU shot 43.2 per cent (32-74) and 28.6 (8-28) from 3-point land. 

TWU had 13 turnovers to UNBC's 18, with the Spartans outscoring the Timberwolves 26-16 off turnovers. 

Tied through the first five minutes of the opening quarter, the Spartans charged ahead late, taking a 23-18 lead through 10 minutes with Nadelhoffer collecting a team-high six points. Taking advantage of six UNBC turnovers, TWU had a 10-0 advantage in points off turnovers. 

TWU extended its lead to seven points by halftime, with Nadelhoffer putting up eight points in the second quarter while Gilbreath had seven. UNBC's balanced attack saw six players with five or more points, led by Laing, who had eight at the break. 

A back and forth third quarter saw the UNBC grab a 59-58 lead late in the quarter only to see a 3-pointer from Gilbreath followed by a fastbreak lay-up from Nadelhoffer send TWU to the final frame with a 63-59 lead. Pluzhnikov had eight points in the quarter to lead the visitors as they outscored the Spartans 20-17.

Then came a thrilling fourth quarter that ultimately went the way of the Timberwolves. 

QUOTABLE
Trevor Pridie – TWU Head Coach
"We're getting closer. We led for over 30 minutes of the game. I thought we were in control. We have done a really good job of not turning the ball over all season, but then we had four turnovers in the fourth quarter alone and we stepped out of bounds a few times too. I thought we had a couple good looks that we missed. We had a foul to give at the end there, but I thought Ja'Qualyn did a great job on Vova all game. I thought about taking the foul, but I trusted the matchup and Vova just made a tough shot. But it wasn't that play. It was the turnovers in the final quarter. That one just hurts."

On Jack Nadelhoffer
"He works so hard and he wants to win so bad. He battled so hard and left everything out there. He was by far the player of the game and he that deserved a win. I hurt for him because he left it all on the floor. He battles every game. He's a warrior."

NOTABLE
•    TWU had 11 steals to UNBC's three. Over the weekend, TWU had 25 steals to the Timberwolves eight. 
•    The two teams last met Nov. 16-17 last season, with the Timberwolves winning both games at home (101-58, 98-82). 
•    TWU has now lost their last eight games against UNBC, with their last win coming at home on Nov. 16, 2013 (W 92-73).

NEXT UP
The Spartans have a bye next weekend before returning to the court Nov. 22-23 with a weekend series in Calgary against the Dinos. UNBC returns home to host UBC Nov. 15-16.

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-