LANGLEY, B.C. – Trinity Western has six teams back in action this week, as the Spartans open the winter semester with the men's and women's basketball teams both at home, while the men's and women's volleyball teams, the men's rugby team and the men's hockey team are all on the road.

HOME
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL (3-5)
Jan. 3 vs. #1 Saskatchewan (8-0) – Langley Events Centre | 6 p.m. (PT) | WATCH
Jan. 4 vs. #1 Saskatchewan (8-0) – Langley Events Centre | 5 p.m. (PT) | WATCH

NOTABLE
•    TWU finished the fall semester with a pair of victories over MacEwan, winning 82-52 and 84-52.
•    The Huskies, who are ranked No. 1 in U SPORTS, have a perfect record so far this year, going 14-0 overall and 8-0 in conference play. 
•    In its eight conference games, Saskatchewan is winning by an average margin of 42.8 points (84.4 to 41.6).
•    Nicole Fransson (Edmonton) leads TWU in scoring and rebounds with 18.1 points per game (5th in CW) and 10.0 rebounds per game (4th in CW).
•    Summer Masikewich leads the Huskies with 15.6 points per game, but Saskatchewan has seven players averaging at least 7.6 points per game.
•    The last time TWU played Saskatchewan was in a Canada West best-of-three semifinal series in 2017-18 when the Huskies won in a series-deciding Game 3.

MEN'S BASKETBALL (2-6)
Jan. 3 vs. #8 Saskatchewan (6-2) – Langley Events Centre | 8 p.m. (PT) | WATCH
Jan. 4 vs. #8 Saskatchewan (6-2) – Langley Events Centre | 7 p.m. (PT) | WATCH

NOTABLE
•    TWU is coming off winning its first two games of the season (Nov. 29-30), knocking off MacEwan on back-to-back nights at the Spartans on-campus David E. Enarson Gym. 
•    Saskatchewan split with Thompson Rivers in the Huskies final Canada West weekend of the fall semester.
•    The Spartans Ja'Qualyn Gilbreath (Amarillo, Texas) leads Canada West in scoring with 24.1 points per game. He was named the Canada West 1st Star of the Week following TWU's wins over MacEwan, after averaging 35 points over the weekend series.
•    The Huskies are led by JT Robinson, who is averaging 18.8 points per game, while Alexander Dewar is putting up 17.4 points per game.
•    TWU is 1-9 in its last 10 games against the Huskies. The Spartans last win against Saskatchewan was Nov. 22, 2013 (75-73).

AWAY
#1 WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL (11-1)
Jan. 3 @ Regina (2-10) – Centre for Kinesiology, Heath & Sport | 6 p.m. (CT) | WATCH
Jan. 4 @ Regina (2-10) – Centre for Kinesiology, Heath & Sport | 6 p.m. (CT) | WATCH

NOTABLE
•    The Spartans enter the second semester tied atop the Canada West standings alongside Mount Royal, having finished the fall semester with a pair of road wins against Calgary. 
•    The Cougars split with Winnipeg in their last regular season weekend (Nov. 29-30). Most recently they played in an exhibition tournament in Edmonton, going 1-2, losing to MacEwan and Alberta before beating Alberta Augustana (ACAC).
•    TWU's Hilary Howe (Calgary) is second in CW with 4.20 kills per set, while Avery Heppell (Langley) leads CW with 1.22 blocks per set and is third in hitting percentage (.361).
•    Regina's Sierra Parris-Kruger is second in CW with 4.32 digs per set.
•    TWU is 18-2 in its last 20 matches with Regina.

#1 MEN'S VOLLEYBALL (19-2, overall)
Jan. 2 @ Brock (8-6, overall) – Bob Davis Gymnasium | 6 p.m. (ET)
Jan. 3 @ #4 McMaster (11-5, overall) – Burridge Gymnasium | 7 p.m. (ET) | WATCH
Jan. 4 @ #4 McMaster (11-5, overall) – Burridge Gymnasium | 7 p.m. (ET) | WATCH

NOTABLE
•    The Spartans are coming off an impressive showing at the Can Am Volleyball Holiday Showcase in which they posted a 3-0 record, including wins over No. 2-ranked UCLA (3-0), No. 4-ranked and two-time defending NCAA champion Long Beach State (3-2) and No. 6 Lewis (3-0). 
•    TWU will play Brock University Thursday before back-to-back games against No. 4-ranked McMaster Friday and Saturday. 
•    Brock last played Nov. 22nd, beating Waterloo (3-1), and 23rd, beating Guelph (3-0).
•    McMaster also played in the Can Am Volleyball Holiday Showcase, losing to Ohio State (3-1), Lewis (3-0) and Long Beach State (3-2).
•    TWU has knocked off McMaster in each of the last five U SPORTS championship tournaments, beating the Marauders in the quarter-finals in 2019, in the semifinals in 2015, 2017 and 2018, and in the final in 2016.

MEN'S RUGBY (1-1)
Jan. 4 @ Saint Mary's College – Saint Mary's Stadium | 1 p.m. (PT) | WATCH

NOTABLE
•    The Spartans will take on arguably the biggest challenge in the history of men's rugby at Trinity Western, with D1A powerhouse Saint Mary's providing the opposition. 
•    The Gaels, who most recently beat Santa Clara 93-0 (Dec. 7), are currently ranked No. 4 amongst all American collegiate rugby programs.
•    Since the return of men's rugby to TWU, the Spartans have played two 15s contests, beating UBC Okanagan (43-20) before falling to the Surrey Beavers (31-13).

MEN'S HOCKEY (9-0-0-0)
Jan. 4 @ Selkirk (4-5-0-3) – Castlegar Recreation Centre | 7 p.m. (PT) | WATCH
Jan. 5 @ Selkirk (4-5-0-3) – Castlegar Recreation Centre | 4 p.m. (PT) | WATCH

NOTABLE
•    TWU will look to keep its perfect record intact, having most recently beat Simon Fraser 4-3 in overtime (Nov. 28).
•    The Spartans are 2-0 against Selkirk this season, earning back-to-back road wins earlier this year (7-0 (Nov.8) and 4-3OT (Nov. 9)).
•    The Saints were last on the ice Dec. 6-7, losing a pair of home games against SFU (4-3OT and 4-3). 
•    Evan Last (Surrey, B.C.) leads TWU in scoring with eight goals and 11 assists in nine games, which has him second in the BCIHL.
•    Tristen Cross (4G, 7A) and Dylan Heppler (5G, 6A) have 11 points apiece to lead the Saints.

About TWU
Recognized for quality, TWU has received seven consecutive A+ rankings for Quality of Teaching and Learning, holds three Canada Research Chairs, and wins national championships in CIS sports. More importantly, lives are changed at TWU through its whole-person, Christ-centred approach to education. With a wide array of undergraduate, graduate, and adult degree-completion programs, TWU equips leaders of character and competence to make a positive impact in the lives of others.

About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 10 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, cross country and track & field. TWU also competes in the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League (BCIHL) in men's hockey. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 12 U SPORTS team championships, 27 Canada West team championships and two BCIHL championships.

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