LANGLEY, British Columbia - The Trinity Western Spartans opened the 2024-25 preseason with a 62-54 win over the York Lions Saturday morning at the Athlete Women Empowered Classic Tournament at the Langley Events Centre in Langley, B.C. The win gives TWU a 1-0 record, while York falls to 1-2 in preseason play.

Third-year guard Cassidy Buchanan (Aldergrove, B.C.) with 17 points, and four rebounds, second-year forward Savannah Vander Kooi (Chilliwack, B.C.) with 14 points, and seven rebounds, and fourth-year point guard Shemaiah Abatayo (Vancouver, B.C.) with eight points, six rebounds, and four assists led the Spartans. While Kiara Leveridge with 15 points, Ella Okubasu with nine points, and Etemati Willock with 10 rebounds, and four points led the Lions

UP NEXT
The Spartans will be hosting the Wilfred Laurier Golden Hawks on Saturday, October 5. Game time at the Langley Events Centre is set for 1 p.m. (PT). TWU begins Canada West conference play on October 31 when they will host the Victoria Vikes. Game time at the LEC is set for 6 p.m. (PT). 
 
QUOTABLE
TWU head coach Cheryl Jean-Paul
"This was a great weekend of basketball for us. Playing three games in three days in the preseason, so we weren't sure exactly what to expect by the time we got to game three.
But this team showed and demonstrated a lot of resilience. In following a game plan in who we want to see as a defensive group and some of the things we wanted to accomplish team wise in creating offence for each other. We had the ability to establish some of our next generation scores. It was really nice to see our leaders step up and find ways to help their teammates out. Obviously, there's a lot of things that we will focus on and work through over the next few weeks of practice, but these being September games I was really happy with just the overall effort and attitude that our team demonstrated. They're committed to playing as a team, and they're committed to working things out together as a group and it definitely showed."
 
"We had a great opportunity to spend Friday evening with York and a group of athletes from Vancouver with the organization, Girls who Leap, and it really demonstrated as much as we are competitors on court there is so much more to what we do then just the basketball piece of things. And it was really incredible to share a sense of community and sharing our stories with people from potentially very dramatic differences in backgrounds. But recognizing what makes us a community and what brings us together. So really excited to bring this opportunity not just to our team, but to also to York. And really hoping to grow this tournament into something that we can continue year after year."

AS IT HAPPENED
The two teams were even throughout most of the opening half. TWU had a run early to lead 11-4, but York countered to trail 16-14 at the end of the opening 10 minutes. Five minutes into the second quarter, TWU led 21-16, from there the two teams exchanged baskets as the Spartans led 29-24 at the end of the half. 

The Spartans looked like they broke the game open with a16-5 run to start the third quarter and lead 45-29. TWU extended the lead to 20 points, 53-33, heading into the final 10 minutes of the game. After the break the Lions came out strong and used a 11-3 run to cut the Spartans lead to 12 points, 56-44, with 5:30 to go in the game. York continued to press down the stretch, but they were unable to overcome the deficit as the Spartans prevailed 62-54.
 
NOTABLE

• TWU finished the game shooting 43.1 percent (22-51) from the field, 31.3 percent (5-16) from three-point line, and 68.4 percent (13-19) from the foul line. While York shot 30.2 percent (19-63), 36.8 percent (7-19), and 69.2 percent (9-13) respectively.
• The Spartans had the edge in rebounds 45-33. While the Lions had the edge in steals 17-11. TWU committed 28 turnovers, while York had 21.
• The Spartans are now 2-0 lifetime against the Lions. TWU last played York on October 21, 2023 when the Spartans defeated the Lions 67-61 in Toronto, Ont.

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. 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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