ABBOTSFORD, B.C. – Trinity Western's David Mutabazi (Surrey, B.C.) dropped a shot from in-tight at the buzzer to send the Spartans to a thrilling 77-76 win over local rival Fraser Valley Saturday at the UFV Athletic Centre. 

With four seconds left in the game, TWU's Juice Belvin (Long Beach, Calif.) grabbed a rebound off a UFV missed free throw, raced down the court before sending a pass to Mutabazi, who drove the lane and stopped just shy of the hoop to toss up the game-winning jumper. 

The win sees the Spartans finish their 2023-24 season with a 5-15 record. Despite missing the playoffs, the Spartans end their season on a high, having won three of their last four games, including a weekend sweep of playoff-bound UNBC. The Spartans also can lay claim to being one of only three teams – joining No. 5-ranked Calgary and No. 8 Manitoba – to knock off Canada West leading and No. 2-ranked Victoria this year.

Mutabazi and teammate Vlad Mihaila (Surrey, B.C.) each had 16 points to lead TWU offensively. The graduating Mihaila did so against his former team in his final U SPORTS contest. Meanwhile, Belvin earned a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds and TWU's Connor Platz (Langley, B.C.) had 15 points and nine boards. 

Platz had four blocks in the game to finish with a Canada West single-season record 70 blocks. His block total saw him average 3.5 blocks per game. Platz, who also led U SPORTS in blocks and blocks per game, bettered his own Canada West record of 57, which he set in 2022-23. To go with his blocking numbers, Platz finished the season nearly averaging a double-double with 12.4 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. 

UFV's Dylan Kinley led the home side with 27 poitns. Jake Willemsen added 15 points for UFV.

TWU shot 40.8 per cent from the field, bettering UFV, who shot 38.7 per cent. The Spartans had a 10-4 edge in steals, but it was the Cascades winning the battle beyond the arc, going 11 for 31 (35.5 per cent) compared to the Spartans 4 for 16 (25.0 per cent).

TWU rallied from an eight-point deficit, 61-53, early in the fourth quarter, clawing back to take a two-point edge thanks to a 10-0 run that was capped by a Mihaila jumper. With 16 seconds left, UFV went head by four points, 76-72, but a Mutabazi 3-pointer made it a one-point game with eight seconds to play. Consecutive misses from the free throw line by UFV's Takeshi Croke set the stage for Mutabazi's heroics. 

NOTABLE
•    Platz finished the 2023-24 season third in Canada West with 9.8 rebounds per game. 
•    Mutabazi finished the year with a team-high 18.4 points per game, while Belvin averaged 13.2 points per game over the course of the season. 
•    TWU's Aris Kalala (Cape Town, South Africa) finished fourth in CW and fifth in U SPORTS with 1.7 blocks per game.

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 33 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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