MADAGASCAR – The Trinity Western Spartans got their first win of the round-robin tournament 54-38 over the Madagascar AIA team at the National Sport Center Tuesday afternoon in Madagascar. TWU is now 1-2 at the tournament. The Spartans will now play the Madagascar Military team GNBA in the semi-final.
Fourth-year guard
Jayden Gill (Abbotsford, B.C.) and fourth-year guard
Kailey Reimer (Abbotsford, B.C.) with 14 points each, and third-year
Gracie Corneau (Abbotsford, B.C.) with 10 points led the Spartans. Reimer was 3/4 from the 3-point line.
The Spartans had a slow start and found themselves done 10-points, 14-4 after the opening quarter but cut into the lead and only trailed by one point, 20-19 at the half. TWU got things going in the second half, outscoring AIA 17-11 in the third quarter to take a 36-31 lead after 30 minutes. The Spartans finished the game outscoring Athletes-in-Action 18-7 in the final 10 minutes to win 54-38.
QUOTABLE
Head coach Cheryl Jean-Paul
"It was great to get a win today – a new facility presented new challenges, but after a slow start we found our way. It was great to have a lot of the coaches in the stands who had taken the coaching clinic over the past two days. They were proudly wearing Canada pins we had gifted them with and very colorful blessing caps (toques) donated by a prayer warrior in the US."
"Prior to the game our athletes were involved in their graduation ceremony, handing them their certificates and t-shirts and taking plenty of pictures. What a great moment for our program to be a part of advancing the game of basketball in so many different ways in Madagascar. We were able to pray with the AIA team before the game, and our athletes are gaining perspective one interaction at a time, recognizing how blessed we are with all the opportunities and provisions we have compared to many."
SCHEDULE
Saturday, May 4 Madagascar MB2All, top club team from Tana, at Barea Stadium at 4 p.m.
Monday, May 6 Madagascar Military Team (GNBA) at Petit Palais Mahamasina at 2 p.m.
Tuesday, May 7 Madagascar AIA Team at Gymnase couvert Mahamasina at 8 a.m.
Wednesday, May 8 semi-finals vs GNBA at Gymnase couvert Mahamasina at 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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