PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. – Trinity Western's
Jack Vandenberg hit a buzzer-beating three to lift the Spartans to a thrilling 65-64 win over UNBC Saturday evening at the Northern Sport Centre.
On the final play of the night, after a TWU in-bound with 3.9 seconds left, Vandenberg took a pass from
Connor Platz and drained a 3-pointer from the corner to give the visitors their second win of the season. The Vandenberg bucket silence the NSC crowd and gave the Spartans a massive win and a split of the weekend up North.
TWU is now 2-4 on the season, while UNBC is 2-3.
UNBC's Evgeny Baukin had given the home side a two-point lead just moments before Vandenberg's heroics after Baukin drove to the hoop and converted on a challenging layup in traffic to give UNBC the 64-62 lead again with 3.9 seconds left.
Vandenberg had five 3-pointers on the night and a team-leading 18 points, while
Marcus Shankar had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Connor Platz had nine points and eight boards.
Baukin, who entered the weekend as the top scorer in Canada, poured in 30 points for a third time in five games. The reigning Canada West Player of the Week also grabbed 14 rebounds to lead all players on Saturday.
QUOTABLE
Trevor Pridie, TWU Head Coach
"I'm really proud of this team. We are banged up with injuries and our backs were against the wall and we stayed together and got a much needed road win. Jack's shot at the end of the game is the result of the work he's put in day after day. He has the confidence to make that shot and we all believe in him. This was a true team win tonight and I'm really happy with the level of focus from the guys."
UP NEXT
TWU travels to Kamploops, B.C. Nov. 14-15 to take on the Thompson Rivers WolfPack.
NOTABLE
• TWU had won six of their last seven meetings with the Timberwolves.
• The Spartans scored exactly 65 points in both games this weekend in Prince George, with UNBC taking a 75-65 win Friday.
• Vandenberg leads the Spartans in scoring this year with 15.8 points per game, while Shankar is second with 14.5 points per game.
• The Spartans were playing on Saturday without injured star
David Mutabazi.
AS IT HAPPENED
It was a scrappy first quarter which resulted in a 16-12 lead for Trinity Western after one. Shankar and
Tyler Sipma combined for 11 points. For UNBC it was Baukin who led the way with six while Miller Davies, Isaiah Bias and Haukur Davidsson all added buckets.
TWU had seven first-half threes – four of which came in the second quarter, while UNBC was 0 for 7 from beyond the arc in the first half. For TWU, Shankar had three while Vandenberg (2), Sipma (1) and
Pearse Long (1) supplied the others. Despite the lopsided edge from downtown, the Spartans only led 33-31 at half.
At half Baukin led the way for the TWolves with 13 and his seven boards were also a team-high. For TWU, Shankar's nine points and five rebounds led the way.
Trinity Western struck three more times from deep in the third which ultimately led to a 19-13 edge and a 52-44 lead. Vandenberg, Shankar and
Logan Stewart connected on those threes while Platz added a pair of layups and
Caleb Gremaud supplied a dunk.
At the other end, Baukin remained a man on a mission for UNBC as he tacked on nine more and had a game-high 22 through three quarters. He also had 10 rebounds to lead all players.
A layup from Tyus Devries in the opening minute of the fourth moved Trinity Western up by 10 as the shooting woes from deep continued for UNBC.
The UNBC pushback began shortly thereafter as Miller Davies hit a free-throw, and Bias followed with a layup. Tony Kibonge then scored from deep, closing the Spartans lead to just four. Then, the NSC crowd went nuclear as Sunga found Baukin for an alley-oop.
A Baukin layup and threes followed from Kibonge and Sunga, and a 10-point deficit had become a six-point UNBC lead.
Vandenberg and Sipma swiped momentum back with consecutive threes for TWU, and the score was tied 60-60 with a minute left.
Platz hit two free-throws putting TWU back up by two, but Baukin answered with a put-back to make it 62-62, setting the stage for the late-game dramatics.
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 in NAIA in cross country and track and field 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 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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