LANGLEY, British Columbia – The Trinity Western Spartans used a 21-2 second-quarter run to defeat the UBC Okanagan Heat 64-50 Saturday night at the Langley Events Centre in Langley, B.C. The victory extends the Spartans' winning streak to six games and puts them at 8-2 in conference play and at the top of the Canada West Pacific Division, while the loss drops the Heat to 5-5 in conference play.
TWU led 35-25 at the end of the first half.
Fourth-year guard
Cassidy Buchanan (Aldergrove, B.C.) with 15 points, eight rebounds, and four steals, and first-year forward
Moriah Jansen (Spallumcheen, B.C.) with 14 points and three rebounds led the Spartans. Aiko Williams with 10 points, Tennyson McCarthy with 11 rebounds, seven points, and two blocked shots, and Kanani Coon with nine points and six rebounds led the Heat.
UP NEXT
The Spartans will now have their annual HOME COURT game when they host the Lethbridge Pronghorns on Friday, November 28, at the David E. Enarson Gym on the campus of Trinity Western University in Langley, B.C. Game time is set for 6 p.m. (PT) and can be seen live on Canada West TV.
QUOTABLE
Cheryl Jean-Paul, TWU Head Coach
"Today was a game of runs. We started the game a bit slowly, and we typically have a quarter that's a bit slower than the others. Sometimes it's the second or the third. Today it was the first, but I love the response. ?We made up for a lot of those missed shots in the second quarter. But the best part about it is that having four or five or six players with six points at halftime means the ball is getting distributed and people are taking the right shots at the right time. We definitely had an influx of energy when it came to some of the defensive series that we had."
"We let them go on a three-point run there in the third quarter with a few corner threes, and that really gave them a boost of energy, but I thought that we maintained our composure through that and then were able to find the right response, going to the end of the game. Both yesterday and today, we were able to defend to win the game.""
"Overall, just a really balanced attack, balanced scoring look, balanced defensively, and it's great to be able to get a back-to-back win against a team very close to us in terms of competitiveness in our division. ?So, these were two really important wins for us.
AS IT HAPPENED
The Spartans and Heat were even through the first four minutes, tied at 7-7. But the Heat controlled the remainder of the quarter to outscore the Spartans 12-2 to take an 18-9 lead at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter was all TWU. The Spartans outscored the Heat 21-2 over the first eight minutes of the second quarter. TWU would finish the quarter with a 26-7 advantage to end the opening half leading UBC O 35-25.
The third quarter was a battle for the Spartans to hold off the Heat. UBC Okanagan kept making short runs to cut into the TWU lead, but were unable to gain any ground until the final minute and a half. The Heat finished the quarter with a 6-0 run to head into the final 10 minutes trailing the Spartans by four points, 45-41. The Heat cut the lead to one point, 45-44, to start the fourth quarter. But TWU responded with an 11-2 run to extend the lead back to 11 points, 57-46, with 4:40 remaining in the game. The Spartans' defence contained the Heat for the rest of the game to earn the 14-point, 64-50 win.
NOTABLE
- The Spartans finished the night shooting 38.5 percent (25-65) from the field, 21.1 percent (4-19) from the three-point line, and 55.6 percent (10-18) from the foul line, while UBC Okanagan shot 35.2 percent (19-54), 23.8 percent (5-21) and 70 percent (7-10) respectively.
- UBC O had a 43-34 edge in rebounds, while TWU had a 14-3 edge in steals and 14-11 in assists.
- The Spartans finished with nine turnovers, while the Heat finished with 24 turnovers.
- Last night the Spartans defeated the Heat 75-56.
- TWU is currently 22-8 lifetime against the UBC Okanagan Heat.
About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 11 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes as in the NAIA in track and field and cross country and 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 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.
-TW-
