WINNIPEG – Trinity Western guard Jayden Gill (Abbotsford, B.C.) scored 23 points, to set a team single-season scoring record, 19.4 point/gm, and lead the Spartans to a 82-79 win over the No. 4 Winnipeg Wesmen Saturday night at the Duckworth Centre in Winnipeg. The win gives the Spartans a final CW record of 12-8, while the loss drops the Wesmen to 15-5.
 
In addition to Jayden Gill the Spartans had strong games from Nicole Fransson (Edmonton) with 16 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists, Hailey Van Roekel (Langley, B.C.) with 11 points and four rebounds, and Jolene Vlieg (Leduc, Alta.) with 10 points and six rebounds. While Julia Schatkowsky with 23 points, and seven rebounds, and Anna Kernaghan and Raizel Guinto with 16 points each led the Wesmen.
 
The final game of the season was close from start to finish. TWU led by six points at the end of the first quarter, 23-17, and at the half, 42-36. Winnipeg cut the lead in half and trailed TWU 59-56 after 30 minutes. Winnipeg tied the game at 70-70 with 2:37 remaining and then took a 78-74 lead with just over a minute remaining.  The lead did not last long as TWU's Van Roekel stepped up with back-to-back three-pointers to give the Spartans an 80-79 lead with :22 seconds remaining. TWU's Jayden Gill made two free throws with :10 seconds remaining to secure the victory for the Spartans.
 
QUOTABLE
Cheryl Jean-Paul – TWU Head Coach
"Tonight's game felt like a playoff game, so a big step forward for us from last night's loss. We had timely shots and enough stops to get the job done. A really important statement heading into the postseason. With all the close game experiences we've been gaining this season, these types of games will only make us more prepared for what we will face next weekend when the season is on the line. Our first five set the tone and the next ones up each brought something that we needed whether it was a stop, a board, a basket, or energy. Great team effort and looking forward to a week of prep to get ready for whomever we face in a week!"
 
NOTABLE
• Gill finishes the Canada West season with 388 points in 20 games. Her 19.4 points/game betters the previous record of 19.2, which Holly Strom set in the 2012-13 season. Gill now sits second in total points in a season, trailing Strom who scored 422 in 22 games in 2012-13.
• With tonight's double-double, Fransson finishes her career with the TWU career record for points/game at 14.39 and rebounds per game at 9.56. Her points/game average betters the record held by Tessa Ratzlaff of 14.32, which she set in 2014-2019. Fransson becomes the only TWU women's basketball player with more than 700 conference career rebounds at 708.
• TWU is 9-22 lifetime against Winnipeg.
• The Spartans shot 46.7 percent (28-60) from the field, 47.8 percent (11-23) from the three-point line and 88.2 percent (15-17) from the foul line. While the Wesmen shot 45.5 percent (30-66), 25.9 percent (7-27), and 66.7 percent (12-18) respectively.
• The Spartans had a 41-27 edge in rebounds.
• Prior to tonight, TWU last beat Winnipeg, 60-57, on January 4, 2019, in Langley, BC.  
 
UP NEXT
The Spartans and Wesmen have now concluded CW conference play. Canada West play-offs will begin next weekend with the Spartans' opponent and location to be determined.  
 
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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