VICTORIA, British Columbia– The Trinity Western Spartans were unable to earn a weekend split as they fell for the second night in a row with an 85-76 loss to the Victoria Vikes Saturday evening in Victoria, B.C. The loss drops the Spartans to 4-7, while the win keeps the Vikes perfect at 10-0.
 
The Spartans had a strong first half and led 44-36 at halftime. But the second half belonged to Victoria as TWU trailed 65-57 after three quarters.
 
Fifth-year guard Josh Belvin (Long Beach, Calf.) with 26 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals, fifth-year guard Jerric Palma (Richmond, B.C.) with 20 points, and three assists, and fourth-year centre Connor Platz (Langley, B.C.) with 17 points, nine rebounds, and four blocks led the Spartans. Geoffrey James with 16 points, and six rebounds, and Ethan Boag and Griffin Arnatt with 15 points each led the Vikes.
 
UP NEXT
The Spartans will stay on the road next week for a tough road split between the Thompson Rivers WolfPack and the UNBC Timberwolves. TWU will be in Kamloops, B.C. against the WolfPack for a 7:30 p.m. game on Thursday, January 16, and then take on the Timberwolves in Prince George, B.C. on Saturday, January 18 at 7 p.m. Both games can be seen live on Canada West TV.
 
QUOTABLE
TWU head coach Trevor Pridie
"The guys played hard tonight and I'm proud of the effort this weekend. Full credit to Victoria. They are a machine and they're such a good team. Connor was fantastic and I'm really happy with how he played. That was one of the better games of his career and it was huge to get him rolling for the second semester. We have a big stretch of games coming up to end the season, so hopefully we can continue building and getting better."
 
AS IT HAPPENED
The Spartans had a narrow lead over the Vikes, ending the opening quarter with a 26-24 lead. Trinity Western demonstrated strong shooting, making 11-of-17 baskets and 4-of-9 from beyond the arc, while also capitalizing on bench strength with 10 points. Platz contributed significantly with seven points and a block, while Palma added a key steal and a fast-break basket. Despite being outrebounded 12-4, the Spartans maintained composure, committing only one turnover compared to the Vikes' two.
 
In the second quarter, Trinity Western outscored Victoria 18-12. The Spartans were efficient from the field, making eight of 15 attempts, including two 3-pointers. They dominated the paint, scoring 10 points, and added two points from fast breaks. Trinity Western also matched Victoria with five assists and recorded one block and one steal. Victoria struggled with their shooting, converting only five of 20 basket attempts and making one of six 3-pointers. The Spartans committed two turnovers compared to Victoria's three, maintaining a slight edge in possession control to lead 44-36 at half.
 
In the third quarter, Victoria outscored Trinity Western 29-13. The Spartans struggled with shooting, making only four of 14 baskets and one of eight 3-pointers. Trinity Western also committed eight turnovers, which the Vikes capitalized on, scoring 10 points off these turnovers. Despite the Spartans' efforts, including three steals and an offensive rebounding edge with four to Victoria's one, they were unable to match Victoria's efficient shooting performance, which included six made 3-pointers on six attempts gave the Vikes a 65-57 lead after three quarters.
 
In the final 10 minutes, the Vikes outscored the Spartans 20-19. Trinity Western shot seven-for-14 from the field, with two 3-pointers made out of eight attempts and three-for-five from the free-throw line. They recorded two blocks and one steal while committing two turnovers and four personal fouls. The Spartans outscored Victoria in points off the bench with 10 and dominated in the paint with eight points. Despite a strong fourth-quarter effort, the Spartans were unable to overcome the Vikes' lead.
 
NOTABLE 

• The Spartans finished the night shooting 50 (30-60) percent from the field, 28.1 (9-32) percent from the three-point line, and 70 (7-10) percent from the foul line, while the Vikes finished at 43.1 (31-72) percent, 48 (12-25) percent, and 78.6 (11-14) percent respectively.
• Victoria had a 47-27 edge in rebounds.
• Both teams had 13 turnovers. The Spartans had a 6-3 edge in steals.
• TWU is now 21-51 lifetime against Victoria

 
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 U 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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