CALGARY – Trinity Western dropped a another close one against Mount Royal, falling 86-83 Saturday at Kenyon Court.
 
The Spartans held a 16-point lead, 67-51, late in the third quarter, but MRU came roaring back taking a 77-76 lead with 4:36 to play in the final frame. After MRU took a 79-78 lead, the home side never trailed the rest of the night.
 
A pair of 3-point attempts from TWU's Jerric Palma and David Mutabazi in the final six seconds came up empty.
 
The Spartans drop to 0-4, while MRU improves to 4-0.
 
TWU took a 13-2 lead to open the game and didn't trail until the Cougars went ahead late in the fourth quarter. The Cougars outscord the Spartans 27-15 over the final 10 minutes.
 
Josh Belvin led TWU with 22 points, while Mutabazi had a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds to go with five assists. Palma added 16 points to help the Spartans cause.
 
Sam Barnie had a team-high 22 points for MRU.
 
MRU had a 38-31 edge in rebounds. TWU had a 10-0 advantage in fastbreak points, but the Cougars won the battle on the free throw line, going 10 for 12 compared to TWU's 3 for 5.
 
NEXT UP
The Spartans are back on the road next week when they travel to play UBC Okanagan Nov. 15-16 in Kelowna, B.C.
 
NOTABLE
·       Palma leads the Spartans and sits sixth in Canada West with 19.0 points per game.
·       Mutabazi is fourth in CW with 9.7 rebounds per game.
·       TWU once again played without injured Connor Platz.
 
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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