LANGLEY, B.C. – The Spartans men's basketball team fell to a well-rounded offence Saturday, as they lost 112-78 to No. 4 Alberta at the Langley Events Centre.
 
Ethan DaSilva (Calgary) led the way offensively for TWU (2-14), contributing season highs of 19 points and eight rebounds on 40% shooting (6-15). Isaiah Reimer (Abbotsford, B.C.) was second in team scoring, adding 15 points for the Spartans. 
 
Alberta (15-1) had seven players hit double-digits, with Tyus Jefferson leading the way contributing 19 points and seven rebounds, and Brody Clarke adding 18 points and 12 rebounds. With the win, second place Alberta has now won 10 consecutive games.
 
Led by a pair of 3-pointers from Reimer, including eight points in total, the Spartans largely kept pace with Alberta in the first quarter and trailing just 23-18 after the opening 10 minutes. Aside from Reimer's 50% first quarter shooting (2-4) however, TWU went 3-14 in the quarter. Alberta meanwhile hit 39% of its shots (9-23).
 
Spartans guard DaSilva then stepped up in the second quarter, knocking down nine points on a perfect 4-4 shooting to lead TWU on a 27-24 second quarter offensive run. The Spartans shooting from range was also a focal point, as they hit six of nine shots (67%) from beyond the arc, including two from Reimer. Alberta guard Tyus Jefferson led the Golden Bears with 11 points and six rebounds heading into the half.
 
The Golden Bears then took over in the third quarter and opening on a 30-6 run to take a 77-51 lead. Dwan Williams led the way for Alberta, scoring 11 points and adding four rebounds in the third quarter. After seemingly gaining momentum in the second quarter, the Spartans shooting once again went cold in the third as they hit just two of 16 shots. Alberta comparatively hit 45% from the field (10-22).
 
TWU opened the fourth quarter with seven consecutive points and on a 10-3 run courtesy of 3-pointers from DaSilva and Daniel Stead (Langley), but the Golden Bears would continue to pour it on offensively and outscore their way to a 112-78 win.
 
Alberta hit 44% of its shots (40-90) in the game, while TWU hit 38% (27-72). The Golden Bears also held a 60-37 advantage in rebounds.
 
QUOTABLE
Trevor Pridie – TWU Head Coach
 
"I'm proud of the fight and effort in our group tonight. It's been a really tough last few days for this group given the circumstances, so it wasn't easy to come into this weekend without both Ja'Qualyn and Gabe. 
 
"It was really different for guys to adjust and get used to a system without some pivotal players in the lineup. Whenever you lose the leading scorer in the country your lineup is going to look drastically different, and that's what we had to deal with again tonight. We were also playing a very good team in Alberta. They got an All-Canadian back this weekend so really it was the perfect storm for them to succeed.
 
"We came in with a game plan and early on we executed that plan fairly well. But into the second half foul trouble really caught up to us. Isaiah fouled out, and we had guys playing out of position. Alberta came out strong in the second half with 20 offensive rebounds and began playing any way they wanted to because they could."
 
NOTABLE

• The Spartans were coming off a 113-68 loss to Alberta Friday (Jan. 24).
• TWU has now lost nine consecutive games against Alberta, with its last win coming at home Jan. 11, 2013 (90-85).
• Spartans leading scorer Ja'Qualyn Gilbreath (Amarillo, Texas) once again did not play in the game, as an administrative error related to the misapplication of the U.S. student transfer rule resulted in the fourth-year being deemed ineligible for the remainder of the 2019-20 season.

 
NEXT UP
TWU continues its regular season on the road in Brandon Friday (Jan. 31) and Saturday (Feb. 1) at the Healthy Living Centre. Alberta meanwhile heads back home to host Calgary Thursday (Jan. 30) before a road game Saturday (Feb. 1) against the Dinos. 

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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