LANGLEY, B.C. – Mason Bourcier (Kelowna, B.C.) had this third triple-double of the semester to help lead Trinity Western to a 105-101 overtime win over UNBC Friday at the Langley Events Centre.
Ja'Qualyn Gilbreath added 24 points and eight assists for TWU, as the Spartans forced overtime with a 9-0 run in the final 1:10, including a defensive stop inside the final 10 seconds of regulation.
In overtime, with UNBC lead 101-98 with 2:16 to play, a dunk from TWU rookie
Connor Platz (Langley), who had a career night double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, sparked a game-finishing 7-0 run that saw the Spartans improve their record to 6-8. The loss drops UNBC to 4-10.
Bourcier's third triple-double of the season, which included 27 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists, puts him on the verge of Canada West history, as he is now one shy of the conference record for most triple-doubles in a career. University of Winnipeg's Erfan Nasajpour holds the record with four over his five-year career.
UNBC's Tyrell Laing had a team-high 25 points, while Fareed Shittu and Vova Pluzhnikov had 19 points each.
The Spartans have now won six of their last seven games.
TWU had 17 made 3-pointers, which is the third most in TWU history.
The Spartans shot 51.3 per cent from the field, while UNBC shot 42.0 per cent.
AS IT HAPPENED
A close first half saw the teams separated by just two points at the break, with UNBC holding a 46-44 lead. The third quarter was more of the same, with the teams trading points until the Timberwolves took a 69-68 lead into the fourth quarter.
With 2:09 left in the fourth quarter, Laing hit a jumper to cap an 8-0 UNBC run that put the visitors up 89-80. But TWU responded late, hitting three straight 3-pointers to send the game to overtime. After a late defensive stop, TWU's Gilbreath had a shot to win the game at the buzzer but what would have been the winning basket was let go just after the final horn, setting up overtime.
QUOTABLE
TWU Head Coach Trevor Pridie
"Obviously, it's a lot more fun being on the right end of that one, but if you're a fan, that was an incredible basketball ball game. There were big shots. Ty and Vova were incredible. Mason and Q were incredible. Different guys made big plays. It was such a fun game.
"I'm proud of the guys for their fight. Obviously we catch a break with Ty missing both free throws near the end, but we make three 3-pointers and we got stops. It was a tough game and we showed our resilience.
"Mason had another triple-double, which cool and he's probably going to break that record at some point. Q had another 24 points and he hits another 'game-winner' at the buzzer.
"Connor was the story of the night. He works so hard and we think he has such a bright future. The offence flowed really well with him and he hits big shots. He has this feel and this swagger and confidence. He was huge for us."
NOTABLE
• The Spartans 105 points is the ninth most points in TWU history.
• The win snaps an eight-game losing streak against UNBC.
UP NEXT
The Timberwolves and Spartans play the rematch Saturday at 7 p.m. (PT) at the LEC.
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-
