VICTORIA – The Trinity Western Spartans fell to the No. 1-Victoria Vikes 75-63 Friday at CARSA. 

The Spartans got off to a hot start, taking a 10-1 lead and going up by double-digits, 15-5, early on, but the top-ranked Vikes chipped away at TWU's advantage, taking a four-point lead, 36-32, into halftime. After a see-saw third quarter, the Vikes took over the fourth quarter, outscoring TWU 21-13 to pull away for the win.  

The loss drops TWU, who entered the contest on a four-game winning streak, to 4-6, while the win keeps the Vikes at a perfect 9-0.

Jerric Palma led TWU with a team-high 17 points to go with four assists, while Josh Belvin added 16 points and a team-leading five steals and David Mutabazi had 13 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Connor Platz made an impact in the paint, securing seven rebounds and recording a block in his first Canada West contest since sustaining an injury against the Vikes on Oct. 31. 

Renoldo Robinson led Victoria in scoring with 17 points and added eight rebounds. Diego Maffia had 16 points. Griffin Arnatt contributed defensively with two steals and added 12 points to his stat line. Shadynn Smid was effective on the boards, securing 10 rebounds, and also recorded two steals.

QUOTABLE
Trevor Pridie, TWU Head Coach
"The guys played hard and played a solid game but we had too many turnovers and gave up 19 offensive rebounds. Victoria is such a good team and to beat them you have to play a near-perfect game and we made too many mistakes tonight. Credit to Victoria thought – they are legit No. 1 team and they're not easy to play a perfect game against."

NOTABLE
•    Earlier this year, TWU lost 99-69 to Victoria on October 31 at the LEC.
•    The Spartans' last win against the Vikes was 92-85 in overtime last January 13 at the LEC.

AS IT HAPPENED
In the first quarter, the Spartans had eight points in the paint and four points off turnovers. They made six of their 17 shots, including two of six from beyond the arc. UVIC struggled with their shooting, hitting only four of 19 field goal attempts, including one of 11 from three-point range, and committed six turnovers despite leading with 14 total rebounds.

The Vikes pushed back in the second quarter, outscoring the Spartans 24-17 to take a four-point lead at the break. Turnovers were an issue, with the Spartans committing eight, while securing nine rebounds, seven of which were defensive. The team matched the Vikes in bench points with nine but allowed 12 points in the paint compared to their own 10.

In the third quarter, both Spartans and UVIC scored 18 points. The Spartans shot seven-for-16 from the field, including two-for-six from beyond the arc, and converted two of three free throws. They recorded four assists and two steals but committed four turnovers. Despite scoring six points in the paint and two from fast breaks, the Spartans trailed slightly in rebounds with 11 compared to UVIC's 12. Victoria managed eight points off turnovers and matched their bench contribution with eight points, while Trinity Western had a limited two points from their bench.

In the fourth half, Trinity Western scored 13 points but was outpaced by the Vikes, who tallied 21 points. The Spartans struggled with shooting efficiency, hitting only five of 21 field goal attempts, including three of 12 from beyond the arc. UVIC capitalized on second-chance opportunities, securing eight offensive rebounds and converting seven of eight free throws, which helped them extend their lead.

NEXT UP
The Spartans and Vikes meet in the rematch Saturday at 7 p.m. at CARSA.

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.  

-TW-