WBB
73
Winner Trinity Western Spartans (W) TWU 0
50
Thompson Rivers WolfPack (W) TRU 0
Winner
Trinity Western Spartans (W) TWU
0
73
Final
50
Thompson Rivers WolfPack (W) TRU
0
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Trinity Western Spartans (W) TWU 17 14 24 18 73
Thompson Rivers WolfPack (W) TRU 13 11 8 18 50

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

SPARTANS BEAT TRU 73-50 TO STAY PERFECT

KAMLOOPS, B.C. – Trinity Western defeated Thompson Rivers 73-50 at the Tournament Capital Centre on Saturday, extending their perfect start to eight consecutive victories in the process.
 
The Spartans (8-0) made program history, achieving their best start to a season on Friday after defeating TRU (1-9) 83-80. Saturday's victory extends the newfound record achieved by the Spartans.
 
Nicole Fransson (Edmonton) was spectacular once again, shooting 11-16 from the field for 25 points and 14 rebounds. Fransson wasn't the only Spartan to join the double-double club as Kianna Wiens (Regina) put down 15 points while grabbing 10 rebounds of her own.
 
AS IT HAPPENED
The first quarter was a gritty, defensive battle. The Spartans traded blows with the WolfPack. Nicole Fransson got the Spartans going early, setting the tone in the paint with six of TWU's 17 points. The Spartans were able were able to keep the WolfPack at bay for the quarter, finishing with a 17-13 lead thanks to an outstanding quarter on the boards.
 
The second quarter was nearly identical to the first as the Spartans continued to pound the rock into the post. With Fransson on the bench for a breather, Gracie Corneau (Abbotsford, B.C.) stepped up to the plate on the defensive end, blocking shots and grabbing boards to keep TWU's defensive efforts airtight. The first half ended with the Spartans outrebounding the WolfPack 33-15. The first half of action resulted in a 31-24 lead in favour of the Spartans.
 
The Spartans came out of the gates hot to begin the third quarter, riding some solid shooting from Kianna Wiens who broke out with four quick points. Wiens, a traditional floor general, orchestrated multiple offensive possessions for the Spartans to bring their lead to 17 points, forcing the WolfPack into a quick timeout to recuperate. The Spartans continued to score out of the break, slowly gaining more control as the WolfPack couldn't find answers on offence. The quarter ended with the Spartans claiming a significant 55-32 lead.
 
The weekend series against TRU ended with TWU's second unit carrying the offensive momentum that was built in the third quarter to bring the game to a close in favour of the Spartans.
 
NOTABLE
  • TWU's last loss in Canada West conference play was Feb. 7, 2020.
  • Corinna Reimer holds the TWU rebounding record with 19, which she set in a 60-54 loss at Manitoba on February 12, 2011. The CW rebound record is 31, which was set by UFV's Sarah Wierks on Jan. 31, 2015 at Mount Royal.
  • Although neither TWU (39.7%) or TRU (34.5%) had a great night from the field, the Spartans were strong from the free throw line, shooting 13-16 as a team.
  • The Spartans won the game on the glass, outrebounding the WolfPack 56-27 en route to their eighth straight victory to start the season.
  • Nicole Fransson has now achieved double-doubles (10+ PTS, 10+ REB) in four consecutive games. Fransson has completed this feat in six of eight conference games thus far.
 
QUOTABLE
TWU Head Coach Cheryl Jean-Paul
"Starting 8-0 against the opponents we've played against says a lot about our ability to find a way to finish well even if other stretches of the game didn't go as planned. I don't think we were satisfied with blowing the lead we had yesterday, today's game was a good response to that. We had to figure it what it took to get that lead, and find a way to keep it. We're going to focus a little more on our defensive rotations so we can force teams to make mistakes, rather than letting them hit big shots. That was the difference yesterday. Today, we forced turnovers and made them take bad shots, it's a very different game when we play that way.
 
"It was nice to see some people get their first U SPORTS points as well. It was a great opportunity for a lot of our players to get some significant U SPORTS minutes. That will definitely play a factor in our next five weekends of league play. We're excited to see more positives moving forward."
 
UP NEXT
The Spartans come back home to the Langley Events Centre to take on Fraser Valley (Jan. 13th) and TRU (Jan. 15th).
 
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.
 
-TW-
 
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