Box Score CALGARY – Trinity Western upset the Calgary Dinos 102-92 in Friday's Canada West playoff action at the Jack Simpson Gym. TWU guard
Mason Bourcier (Kelowna, B.C.) was on a different level in TWU's victory, dropping 41 points, 13 assists, and 12 rebounds for his second consecutive triple-double.
With this victory in hand, the Spartans will now advance to the Canada West quarterfinals to play No. 10 ranked Regina (12-4), who stands as the fourth seed in the conference after an impressive regular season.
Bourcier's 41 points also stands as the most a TWU player has scored in a playoff game, and his 13 assists ties Adam Friesen's record for most assists made in a playoff game for TWU.
Aside from Bourcier, the Spartans enjoyed strong performances from
Andrew Goertzen (Langley, B.C.) who recorded a double-double in 26 minutes (12 points, 10 rebounds), and a 19-point shout from the nation's leading scorer,
Ja'Qualyn Gilbreath (Amarillo, Texas).
AS IT HAPPENED
Bourcier and the Spartans jumped out of the gates on fire, starting the game on a 12-2 run. The fourth-year guard had 19 points of his own as the Spartans connected on over 61 percent of their first-quarter shots to hold a 32-24 lead after the first ten minutes.
The Dinos made a nice run in the second quarter, cutting TWU's lead to five points with less than two minutes remaining in the half, but the run would soon be upended by an onpour of scoring from the Spartans.
Two colossal runs to start and end the third quarter quelled the Calgary crowd and any momentum the Dinos generated. Bourcier's dissection of the Dinos defence was clinical, calculated, and crushing.
The grit of the Dinos showed through in the final quarter of action, clawing themselves within four points of the Spartans at the midpoint of the fourth. Second-Team All-Star
Ja'Qualyn Gilbreath, whom the Dinos had held in check up to that point, recorded seven-straight points to give the Spartans the final breathing room they needed.
NOTABLE
- Bourcier's night will surely go down as one of the greatest single-game performances by a Spartan in history. Including the playoff scoring record while tying the assist record, Bourcier also surpassed Jacob Doerksen's 3-point percentage record for a postseason match after shooting 7-10 from beyond the arc.
- TWU shot an incredibly efficient 51.4 percent (36-70 FG) from the field with 16-31 field goals coming from 3-point range.
UP NEXT
The Spartans are set to take on the No. 9 Regina Cougars at 8 p.m. (MT) on Saturday. If TWU wins, they advance to the Canada West Final Four.
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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