SASKATOON, British Columbia – Trinity Western Jayden Gill (Abbotsford, B.C.) finished the night with 22 points, six steals, three assists and two rebounds, but it wasn't enough as the Spartans fell 70-65 to the No. 3 Saskatchewan Huskies Saturday night in Saskatoon, Sask. The loss drops the Spartans to 11-7, while the win improves the Huskies to 14-2.
 
Jolene Vlieg (Leduc, Alta.) added nine points and eight rebounds, Nicole Franson (Edmonton) added six points and eight rebounds, and Shemaiah Abatayo (Vancouver) added nine points to the TWU cause. While Cary Ahlstrom with 21 points and seven rebounds, Maya Flindall with 16 points, and Gage Grassick with 15 points and five rebounds led the Huskies.
 
AS IT HAPPENED
The first half saw two evenly matched teams take the court. The Huskies would push to the rim hard, only to be stopped by the Spartans defence. Powerhouse of the first half would be Carly Ahlstrom, with 11 points, two rebounds and one assist. For the Spartans, Jayden Gill would be the leader, with eight points, one assist, and three steals. The first half would end with the Huskies having a slight lead over the Spartans 29-27.
 
The second half opened with a defensive push, as neither team found the net within the first three minutes. Logan Reider drained a three, which would give the Huskies back their momentum. The Spartans would struggle offensively, with the Huskies leading 46-35 after the third quarter.
 
Down the home stretch, things got interesting, with the Spartans offence bringing the heat in the fourth quarter. The Spartans would bring the game to within two with less than a minute left in the game. With thirty seconds left, TWU would take the lead at 65-64, and send Tea Demong to the line. Demong drained both to take the lead back at 66-65. Saskatchewan would head back to the line and Gage Grassick would drain both of her buckets to put the Huskies up by three. With ten seconds left, TWU would miss a crucial three pointer, and the Huskies would go on and take the 70-65 win.
 
QUOTABLE
TWU Head Coach Cheryl Jean-Paul
"Another great battle - there is so much fight in this group, and these close-game experiences will serve us well in the weeks to come. Young ones stepping up and getting important stops and scores only helps our depth. And from the other end, Jayden is establishing herself as one of the best basketball players, not just athletes, in our conference. To be able to have back-to-back scoring games against one of the top teams in our conference says a lot about her preparation and focus. We can take so much from this weekend, looking forward to continuing this process of getting ready for the next."
 
NOTABLE
• The Spartans Jayden Gill is currently fourth in Canada West in scoring at 19.3 points/game. Holly Strom currently holds the TWU single-season scoring record at 19.2 points per game, which she set in 2012-13 in a 22 game season.
• The Spartans lost to the Huskies 82-76 Friday night at the PAC
• TWU is now 6-25 lifetime against the Huskies.
• The Spartans last beat the Huskies on February 23, 2018. A 67-60 win in Saskatoon.
• TWU shot 39.4 percent (26-66) from the field, 36.4 percent (8-22) from the three-point line and 71.4 percent (5-7) from the foul line. While Saskatchewan shot 34.5 percent (19-55), 28.6 (6-21) percent, and 89.7 percent (26-29) respectively.
 
UP NEXT
The Spartans will conclude Canada West Conference play in two weeks in Winnipeg against the Wesmen on Friday, February 10, and Saturday, February 11. Game times are set for 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. and can be seen live on Canada West 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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