PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. – Mason Bourcier (Kelowna, B.C.) tied Canada West's triple-double record on Saturday as Trinity Western fell 96-88 to the UNBC Timberwolves at the Charles Jago Northern Sport Centre.
The Spartans (8-10) also enjoyed a stellar scoring performance from
Ja'Qualyn Gilbreath (Amarillo, Texas) while all five of UNBC's (6-11) starters scored 10 or more points. Gilbreath solidified himself as a TWU men's basketball icon in Saturday's loss, breaking the program's record for single-season scoring.
TWU nearly overcame a 14-point deficit, narrowing UNBC's lead to five points with two minutes remaining. Still, the Timberwolves continued to hit tough shots, putting the Spartans in an even tougher spot to keep it close.
AS IT HAPPENED
The first quarter wrapped up at a 20-20 deadlock between the two Canada West sides as UNBC's Chris Ross scored seven of TWU's 20 points.
A second quarter of strong play in the paint led to a 47-39 UNBC lead come half time. The Spartans shot well from 3-point land, going 4-9 to slim UNBC's advantage, but the Timberwolves pounded the ball down low, sinking eight of nine free throws they took in the second quarter.
The Spartans, who are a notable third-quarter team, were narrowly bested in another quarter tilting in favour of the Timberwolves. With UNBC outscoring TWU 28-27, the Spartans headed into the fourth quarter facing a nine-point deficit.
TWU was only able to outscore the Timberwolves by one (22-21), though they had various moments where they could have slid into balance, or perhaps a substantial run for the Spartans. In the end, a 96-88 victory for the Timberwolves was in order, wrapping up TWU's regular season at 8-10.
NOTABLE
- After losing their first seven games of the season, the Spartans finished strong in the second semester, going 8-3 to move to the fourth seed in Canada West's western division.
- With a 36-point performance to end the season, Ja'Qualyn Gilbreath officially became TWU's single-season record holder for points scored. Gilbreath led the nation in scoring with 27.7 points averaged per game.
QUOTABLE
TWU Head Coach Trevor Pridie
"They're a really tough team to play against. I thought we had some good looks from three, but we missed some really good, wide-open looks. I feel like every time we made a run they'd hit a big shot, or make a big play to kill our runs. I felt like we did a decent defensive job in the first quarter, but Mason [Bourcier] had to come out of the game after dealing with a sprained ankle, which took us out of his defensive groove. Q [
Ja'Qualyn Gilbreath] got in foul trouble, so we had to switch our matchups up defensively as well.
"It's cool that Mason [Bourcier] and Q broke some records tonight, but it was too bad that it all happened in a loss. Now we need to revamp and get ready for the playoffs."
TWU Guard Ja'Qualyn Gilbreath
"I felt like our effort was somewhat there, but we could've fought harder but we can use this loss and run with it to get better. We're really starting to merge together as a group, building a great bond, and becoming a family. That is going to go a long way for us in the playoffs.
"They [UNBC] have some great players. We came to the game expecting a hard-fought battle and we just came up short, we'll learn from it.
"I just wanted to as well as I could this season and God is allowing me to do so, so I have to thank God. I also have to thank my teammates for believing in me and allowing me to do well this season. We still have a lot more work to do."
UP NEXT
The Spartans are set to play in the Canada West playoffs.
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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