Box Score BRANDON, Manitoba – Trinity Western had four players hit double-digits in points, but the Spartans ultimately lost 102-84 to Brandon on the road Saturday at the Healthy Living Centre.
Jack Nadelhoffer (Tigard, Ore.) picked up 22 points on an impressive 77% shooting for TWU (0-18), while Spartans fifth-year guard
Ethan DaSilva (Calgary) narrowly missed a triple-double, adding 19 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.
Adam Gehrig (Toowoomba, Australia) and
Isaiah Reimer (Abbotsford, B.C.) added 14 and 12 points respectively for TWU.
Anthony Tsegakele had a team-high 26 points and 16 rebounds for the Bobcats, with Haashim Wallace and Haleel Webb each contributing 22 points apiece for Brandon (5-13).
The Spartans opened the first quarter evenly matched with the Bobcats, beginning with a 3-pointer from Gehrig just 25 seconds into the game before eventually taking a 19-15 lead. Brandon however would fire back, outscoring TWU 15-2 to head into the second quarter up 30-23.
Despite falling behind 10 points just two minutes before the half time buzzer, the Spartans fought back after a 3-pointer from Reimer and layup from Nadelhoffer to trail just five points, down 55-50 at halftime.
The home side then went on a 27-15 run in the third quarter, as Brandon entered into the final quarter leading by 17 points.
From there TWU and Brandon would match each other throughout the fourth quarter, as the home team would hold on for the 102-84 win.
The Spartans finished the night on 50% (29-58) shooting, while the Bobcats hit 47.6% (40-84). Brandon held a 44-33 advantage in total rebounds.
QUOTABLE
Trevor Pridie – TWU Head Coach
"It was a good first half for the team, but overall it was tough to be so short-handed on the road playing a team that athletic, and that is playing for their playoff lives and on seniors night. Tonight was just a level of intensity that was hard to match. When you lose a prime player that's become the focal point of attack, it becomes tough to make adjustments. We're playing without three starters, so it's not easy on us. We struggled to get stops in the second half and Brandon went on a couple runs in that third quarter that we couldn't climb out of."
NOTABLE
- TWU was coming off a late 96-93 loss to Brandon Friday.
- All 10 of Spartans guard DaSilva's rebounds were defensive (0-10).
- The Spartans had 17 turnovers in the game, as opposed to seven for Brandon.
NEXT UP
TWU finishes its regular season at home next weekend, hosting Victoria Friday (8 p.m. PT) and Saturday (7 p.m. PT) 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.
-TW-
