Box Score VANCOUVER, B.C. – Trinity Western threw down an emphatic 75-52 win over the UBC Thunderbirds on Friday at the War Memorial Gym.
TWU's (5-0) emphatic victory over UBC (3-6) comes on an impressive performance from TWU's starting unit.
Nicole Fransson (Edmonton) was a menace in the paint, posting a stat-line of 19 points, 13 rebounds, and five blocks on the night.
Fransson was joined by
Jolene Vlieg (Leduc, Alta.),
Kianna Wiens (Regina), and
Jayden Gill (Abbotsford, B.C.) who combined for 35 of TWU's 75 total points.
AS IT HAPPENED
The Spartans got out to an early lead thanks to
Kianna Wiens' sharp-shooting ability and
Nicole Fransson's efforts in the paint. The two veteran Spartans combined for 14 of TWU's 20 points in the first quarter, ousting UBC's 12 throughout the first 10 minutes of play. The first quarter was highlighted by
Jenna Gill (Abbotsford, B.C.) completing an outlet heave to her older sister,
Jayden Gill, who put the fastbreak attempt away.
After a first quarter of dominance from the Spartans, UBC roared right back cutting TWU's lead to six points. Still,
Nicole Fransson had other ideas, taking matters into her own hands to put down eight more points before the half's end. Fransson was all over the place, blocking shots and grabbing offensive rebounds to create space for TWU's perimeter players. Fransson ended the first half of play with 14 points and nine rebounds as the Spartans took a commanding 37-23 lead before the break.
The beginning of the third quarter saw more strong play from the Spartans as
Jolene Vlieg hit back-to-back 3-pointers to put TWU on a slight run. Vlieg's scoring spurred on the rest of the team as the Spartans jumped out to a massive 55-29 lead midway through the third quarter.
The Spartans continued to roll throughout the remainder of the game, maintaining complete control over the game until the final buzzer.
NOTABLE
- Friday's victory over the Thunderbirds was the biggest in program history over UBC. With this win, the Spartans are now 2-0 over the Thunderbirds in the 2021-22 season.
- The last time the Spartans defeated the Thunderbirds at home was Nov. 18th, 2017, resulting in a 75-71 overtime victory for the Spartans.
- Nicole Fransson made five blocks in TWU's victory on Friday. Fransson's efforts were enough to earn the honour of having the second most blocked shots in a single game.
- First-year forward Ella Parker (Victoria) put down the first points of her post-secondary basketball career on Friday, totalling four points to cap off the game.
QUOTABLE
TWU Head Coach
Cheryl Jean-Paul
"Definitely a statement game for us from the perspective of it taking us so long to get back to playing. The team responded really well. We were focussed and we executed the gameplan really well. Some people stepped up and did what we're hoping to see more of throughout the year.
"Nicole is becoming a dominant presence in the post. She did a really good job in making a statement with her rebounding tonight. It was good getting our younger players some looks at the court today. We told the girls two weeks ago to come prepared to play, and they did well with that.
"Great enthusiasm and leadership from our older athletes tonight. We had a lot of celebrating and cheering for our teammates tonight. Overall, great team win. We are really excited to see what happens tomorrow."
UP NEXT
The Spartans will rematch the Thunderbirds tomorrow (5 p.m.) at the War Memorial Gym.
About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 13 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey, cross country and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes as an independent team in men's rugby. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 12 U SPORTS team championships and 29 Canada West team championships.
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