MADAGASCAR – The Trinity Western Spartans women's basketball team opened their trip to Madagascar with a solid 50-44 loss to the Madagascar M2Ball team in a packed Barea Stadium Saturday afternoon in Madagascar. The game was the first match of the four-team round-robin tournament.
 
The Spartans were even at 10-10 after the opening quarter but trailed M2Ball, one of Madagascar's top club teams, 29-22 at the half. TWU struggled in the third quarter and trailed 38-29 heading into the final quarter. The Spartans had their best quarter of the game, outscoring M2Ball 15-12 to make the final 50-44.
 
Third-year guard Shemiah Abatayo (Vancouver, B.C.) with 12 points, first-year centre Blessing Ibekwe (Coquitlam, B.C.) with seven points, second-year guard Cassidy Buchanan (Aldergrove, B.C.) with six points, and second-year guard Sydney Bradshaw (Langley, B.C.) with five points led the Spartans.
 
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Head coach Cheryl Jean-Paul
"As our first introduction to the style of play, and with it being our first full day in Madagascar, the game went as expected in some ways. It was a lot of fun playing in front of a packed gym, many of the participants of the kids' camp we hosted earlier in the day were in attendance. A great environment to play in!"
 
"The final quarter was a much better quarter for us. We found a few good looks and defended with purpose. We also found some better looks on offence, but they were able to punch back fairly quickly and responded to all of our runs. We are looking forward to a rematch later in the week – hoping to see them again in the tourney final."
 
"The teams we are playing are getting ready for their club national championships later this month, so this tourney will be good preparation for them and it gives us some games after two months off from the end of our post-season, so definitely some rust that will get figured out over the course of the next few days."
 
SCHEDULE
Saturday, May 4 Madagascar National Team (Ankoay) at Barea Stadium at 4 p.m.
Tuesday, May 7 Madagascar AIA Team at Petit Palais Mahamasina at 2 p.m.
Wednesday, May 8 MB2ALL Team at Gymnase couvert Mahamasina at 8 a.m.
Wednesday, May 8 semi-finals at Gymnase couvert Mahamasina at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Thursday, May 9 Madagascar at Gymnase couvert Mahamasina at 2 p.m. with award presentations to follow.
 
The Spartans will leave on May 1 and return to Langley, B.C. on May 12.
 
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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