LANGLEY, British Columbia– A solid fourth quarter defensive stand and 30 points from guard Mason Bourcier (Kelowna, B.C.) proved to be the difference as the Trinity Western Spartans earned a weekend sweep of the Lethbridge Pronghorns with a 77-72 victory Saturday night at the Langley Events Centre in Langley, B.C. The win improves TWU to 3-1, while the loss drops Lethbridge to 1-3.
 
With the Spartans trailing 65-63 with eight minutes to go in the game the TWU defence stepped up and shut down the Lethbridge offence for six minutes. The defensive effort allow the Spartans to go on an 11-0 run and take a 74-65 into the final two minutes of play. Lethbridge outscored TWU down the stretch, but were unable to catch the Spartans.
 
David Mutabazi (Delta, B.C.) with 17 points, and seven rebounds and Connor Platz (Langley, B.C.) with 16 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots added to the Spartan totals. Kymani Pollard (Gardena, Calf.) with 24 points and Jack-Henry Fox-Grey (Lethbridge, Alta.) with 11 points led the Pronghorns in the loss.
 
TWU trailed 38-37 at the half and 60-56 at the end of the third quarter.
 
QUOTABLE
TWU Head Coach Trevor Pridie
"We knew coming into this season that we were going to be a good defensive team. We have some strong defensive pieces and in pre-season we were quite good defensively. But I've been very surprised that our defense has been getting us wins this year and not our offence. If our offence can start clicking, it is going to make us very tough."
 
"I can't say enough about Mason. He is our defensive leader and the best defender that I have ever coached. And the effort plays that Connor made tonight were just huge for him. He is playing well over 30 minutes and he is running the floor, contesting shots, and make it very difficult for them around the rim. And making hustle plays while battling a very good big. Those two guys I thought were phenomenal defensively. But we had a number of guys step up defensively tonight, the group that finished the game was outstanding."
 
NOTABLE
• TWU is now 16-15 lifetime against Lethbridge.
• Trinity Western shot 44.1 percent (30-68) from the field, 31.3 percent (5/16) from three-point range, and 75 percent (12/16) from the free throw line. While Lethbridge shot 40.8 percent (29/71), 34.6 percent (9/26), and 71.4 percent (5/7).
• TWU had 44 rebounds to Lethbridge's 41.
• The Spartans finished with eight steals and 12 assists, while the Horns finished with seven steals and 17 assists.
 
UP NEXT
The Spartans will head over to the David E. Enarson Gym next week when they host the UBC Thunderbirds. Game times on Friday, November 18 and Saturday, November 19 are set for 8 p.m. and 7 p.m. and can be seen live on CanadaWest.TV.
 
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.
 
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