LANGLEY, B.C. – Trinity Western rallied from a 14-point halftime deficit to beat Lethbridge 81-77 in the Spartans home-opener Friday at the Langley Events Centre.
In a rematch of last year's Canada West quarter-final, which Lethbridge won, the Spartans trailed 50-36 at the break, but came all the way back to secure the win and improve to 3-0 on the season. Lethbridge falls to 1-2.
Jayden Gill (Abbotsford, B.C.) led the Spartans with a career-high 25 points, while Nicole Franssen (Edmonton) added 18 point to go with nine rebounds.
Jolene Vlieg (Edmonton) had nine points and a team-high nine boards, with
Hailey Van Roekel (Langley) and
Shemaiah Abatayo (Vancouver) each adding 10 points to the TWU cause.
Lethbridge was led by Hailey Weave, who had a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds, while Jessica Haenni added 20 points and five rebounds.
With TWU trailing 64-62, Gill scored all eight points in an 8-2 Spartans run that ultimately gave the home side the a lead, at 70-66, they wouldn't relinquish.
AS IT HAPPENED
The teams played a back and forth opening quarter, with Lethbridge holding a 24-20 lead through 10 minutes. However, the Pronghorns roared a head in the second frame. On the strength of an 18-6 run over the final five minutes of the frame, the visitors took a 50-36 advantage into halftime.
The Spartans responded early in the second half, scoring the first 11 points of the third quarter to make it a three-point game, 50-47, after a 3-pointer from Vlieg. Lethbridge responded with a 7-0 run only to see TWU claw back to within three points, making it 61-58 going to the fourth quarter.
On the strength of Gill, who had 15 points in the fourth quarter, TWU closed the gap early and with 6:04 to go took the lead for good, 67-66, after a Gill lay-up. With seven seconds to play and Lethbridge down by just two,
Hailey Van Roekel sealed the win with a pair of made free throws.
QUOTABLE
Cheryl Jean-Paul – Head Coach
"We're definitely a team that can wear both hats. We are both of those teams that showed up today. We're the team that lets things happen and doesn't respond to the other team's push. But we're also the team that can push back really hard. It was exciting to see 20 minutes of that. We keep digging ourselves into holes and then we have to spend a ton of energy to get back into the game. But I was really impressed with what we saw in the first five minutes of the second half, which was the exact opposite of the last five minutes of the first half. It goes to show you that we have more to offer defensively than we think we do. I think that defensive intensity, led by Jayden typically, just generates so much energy for us.
"It's about trying to put together a 40-minute game. I still think that's where we're really allowing the other teams to get high percentage shots and great looks by their two main scorers. Nothing that they did surprised us. It's just about how long it takes us before we realize that we don't have to let those things happen. I'm really happy with the second half and hopefully we can bring that energy tomorrow from the start.
"I think the main challenge for us is that we start playing on our heels and allow them to slow down. When they're allowed to score at such a high percentage, they're allowed to set up their press and their zone. So I think those are two things we need to keep recognizing that we have more than one different type of scoring look.
"With some younger point guards and different looks offensively, Jayden is becoming a primary scoring look for us and she's still developing those shots. I was more frustrated with the turnovers late. Instead of being a one-possession game, it could have been a three-possession game, which leaves the door open for opponents. But we definitely improved offensively from last weekend and we showed some good resilience. They played hard for each other and that's what we want them to continue to do."
NOTABLE
· TWU is 20-12 all-time against Lethbridge.
· The last time Lethbridge was in Langley was nearly six years ago, when TWU earned back-to-back wins over the Pronghorns Dec. 2-3, 2016.
· Their last regular season meeting was Jan. 25-26, 2019 when the Pronghorns earned a weekend sweep of the Spartans.
UP NEXT
TWU and Lethbridge play again Saturday at 5 p.m. at the Langley Events Centre.
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 13 U SPORTS team championships and 32 Canada West team championships.
About Trinity Western University
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.
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