LANGLEY, British Columbia – Led by Mason Bourcier's (Kelowna, B.C.) 20 points the Trinity Western Spartans ran past the No. 5 ranked Alberta Golden Bears to claim an impressive 14-point, 91-77, victory Friday night at the Langley Events Centre in Langley, B.C. The win improves the Spartans to 9-4, while the loss drops the Golden Bears to 6-5.
 
The Spartans used a balanced team attack, with six players hitting double-digits in scoring. In addition to Bourcier, TWU also had double-digit numbers from Connor Platz (Langley, B.C.)  with 17 points, Tre Fillmore (Amarillo, TX) and Vlad Mihaila (Surrey, B.C.) with 12 points each, and David Mutabazi (Delta, B.C.) and Josh Belvin (Long Beach, Calf.) with 11 points each.
 
Abdullah Shittu (Edmonton) with 14 points, Lars Ishimwe (Edmonton) with 13 points, and Isaac Simon (Regina, Sask.) with 11 points led the Golden Bear attack.
 
Alberta was a slightly better team to start the game leading 25-24 after the open quarter. But the Spartans found their game in the second quarter taking a 10-point, 51-41 lead into the break. After the half, the two teams matched each other point-for-point as TWU led 67-47 heading into the final frame. The Bears didn't challenge the Spartans down the stretch as TWU pulled away for the 14-point win.
 
QUOTABLE
TWU Head Coach Trevor Pridie
 "That's a big win for us obviously. The guys executed really well. I thought we were really sharp defensively. I thought we were a bit flat defensively in the first six minutes but we tightened things up and I thought today we locked in for full possessions defensively and stuck with the game plan. Our compete level was great.
 
"It was a really good team win. Mason was obviously great. Connor was very good. We had a lot of guys step up and hit some timely shots. They'd make a bit of a run, but then we 'd make a timely shot. Alberta is a really good team and obviously they're going to make runs and it's going to be a war with them, but I thought we answered every run they made. Vlad was phenomenal. I thought it was probably the best game he's played in his career here. He came in and hit the big shots and he was good defensively.
 
"We've only completed half of the job. We still have one more game tomorrow. They're a top-five team in the country right now, so it's going to be a battle. I expect a heck of a game tomorrow and hopefully we can come out and execute."

NOTABLE
• The Spartans are 6-23 lifetime against the Bears.
• The Spartans and Golden Bears last met on January 25, 2020, in a 112-78 Alberta win. The last time TWU defeated Alberta was almost nine years ago on January 11, 2013, when the Spartans won 90-85.
• The Spartans had an outstanding shooting night. TWU shot 47.8 percent (33-69) from the field, 40 percent (12-30) from the three-point line, and 76.5 percent (13-17) from the foul line. While Alberta shot 40 percent (28-70), 27.6 percent (8-29), and 76.5 percent (13-17) respectively.
• The Bears had a 44-37 edge in rebounds.
 
UP NEXT
The Spartans and Bears will match up again tomorrow night in Langley. Game time is set for 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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