CALGARY – Trinity Western dropped a tight contest with Mount Royal, falling 76-72 Saturday at Kenyon Court. 

The Spartans (0-3) held as much as an eight-point lead early in the fourth quarter, but the Cougars (3-0) were able to come all the way back to win, taking the lead for good, 73-72, with 2:49 to play. The Spartans were unable to find the scoreboard the rest of the way, missing five 3-point attempts over the final two and half minutes. 

Playing without regular starters David Mutabazi and Connor Platz, the Spartans were led by Jerric Palma, who had 21 points and seven rebounds, and Josh Belvin, who had 12 points and nine boards. Tyrone Asenoguan and Caleb Gremaud each added 11 points apiece. 

TWU finished the night shooting 20 per cent (6-30) from 3-point range, compared to MRU, who shot 30.4 per cent (7-23). Both teams struggled from the free throw line, with TWU going 4 for 9 and MRU going 7 for 14. MRU won the battle on the glass, outrebounding the Spartans 52-37.

QUOTABLE
Trevor Pridie, TWU Head Coach
"It's tough when you're missing two guys as important as Connor and David are for us. The guys played well in stretches but we still have stretches of poor execution and breakdowns on both ends. We have to sustain our compete level for 40 minutes and we have to continue to build and get better and once we get healthy, we are going to be fine."

NEXT UP
The Spartans and Cougars will play the rematch Saturday at 7 p.m. (MT) at Kenyon Court. 

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 and women's and men's disc golf. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 14 U SPORTS team championships and 34 Canada West team championships.

About Trinity Western University
Recognized for quality, TWU has received seven consecutive A+ rankings for Quality of Teaching and Learning, holds three Canada Research Chairs, and wins national championships in CIS sports. More importantly, lives are changed at TWU through its whole-person, Christ-centred approach to education. With a wide array of undergraduate, graduate, and adult degree-completion programs, TWU equips leaders of character and competence to make a positive impact in the lives of others.  

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