LANGLEY, B.C. – Trinity Western fell in a heated affair against the UNBC Timberwolves on Saturday, falling 82-78 on their home court at the Langley Events Centre.
The Spartans (6-9) were able to mount a late comeback after the Timberwolves (5-10) controlled the middle portion of the game mightily.
Ja'Qualyn Gilbreath (Amarillo, Texas) was other-worldly in Saturday's defeat. The graduating senior, and Canada West leading scorer put down a game-high of 33 points through 38 minutes of play. The Spartans were also lifted by
Andrew Goertzen's (Langley, B.C.) impressive performance. Goertzen tossed 13 points and six rebounds into the ring in Saturday's defeat.
UNBC enjoyed a well-balanced night in the scoring category. Led by Vova Pluzhnikov's perfect 5-5 3-point shooting performance and Fareed Shittu's double-double, UNBC moved to their fifth victory of the 2021-22 season.
AS IT HAPPENED
With the Langley Events Centre bursting with electricity for their final time seeing the 2021-22 Spartans live in action,
Ja'Qualyn Gilbreath pulled up for back-to-back 3-pointers, carrying the Spartans to an 8-2 lead, and more than anything, sending the Langley Events Centre into a frenzy. With the crowd buzzing, UNBC did everything in their power to put the party to a halt. For the half, UNBC's efforts were successful as the Timberwolves moved to a substantial 50-38 lead at the half.
The third quarter kicked off with TWU head coach
Trevor Pridie's offence running smoothly. With arguably their best stretch of basketball since the opening two minutes of the game, UNBC roared back, retaking a substantial 63-52 lead by the end of the third quarter.
The beginning of the fourth quarter also marked the beginning of the
Ja'Qualyn Gilbreath show. Canada West's leading scorer caught fire in front of TWU's home fans. With a stepback 3-pointer to bring the game within five points, the Spartans immediately found themselves back within reach of their seventh win of the regular season.
With Gilbreath streaking down the right side of the court on a fast break, the guard found
Tre Fillmore (Amarillo, Texas) alone in the corner. Fillmore sunk the 3-pointer to bring the Spartans within one point (70-71).
Chaos ensued after Fillmore's 3-pointer. With leads being bounced between both sides, it was UNBC who pulled ahead to seal the deal, ending the game at 82-78 favouring the visiting team.
NOTABLE
QUOTABLE
TWU Head Coach Trevor Pridie
"Another really tough, hard-fought battle. I'm really proud of the guys, they showed fight all weekend. I thought we were really good defensively, but Vova [Pluzhnikov] was outstanding, going five for five from three. He hit the dagger to seal the game.
"Free throw shooting was a problem for us. We shot 47 percent from the free throw line and they shot 55 percent on 3-pointers.
"I thought Q [
Ja'Qualyn Gilbreath] was phenomenal in his final game in front of the home fans. Him and Andrew [Goertzen] were great tonight. We loved the support and the crowd was awesome tonight, I wish we got the win for them at home. We were so appreciative of the support."
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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