CALGARY, Alberta – The Trinity Western Spartans used a dominating first quarter to run away with a 101-90 win over the Brandon Bobcats in the Canada West play-in game at the Jack Simpson Gym Friday afternoon in Calgary, Alta. The win sends the Spartans to the Canada West quarter-final game against the Calgary Dinos.
 
The Spartans led 38-18 at the end of the first quarter, 64-39 at the half, and 88-72 after three quarters.
 
The Spartans had four players hit double-digit scoring with fifth-year guard Jarric Palma (Richmond, B.C.) with 26 points, five assists, and three rebounds, fifth-year guard Josh Belvin (Long Beach, Calf.) with 23 points, six steals, and five assists, and five rebounds, fourth-year centre Connor Platz (Langley, B.C.) with 22 points, five rebounds, and three blocks, and fourth-year David Mutabazi (Delta, B.C.) with a double-double of 16 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists leading the way for the Spartans. Dewayne Thompson with 30 points, Sultan Haider Bhatti with 23 points and 11 rebounds, and Travis Hamberger with 10 points led the Bobcats.
 
UP NEXT
The Spartans will now play in the Canada West quarter-final against the Calgary Dinos in Calgary, Alta. Game time is 7 p.m. (MT) and can be seen live on Canada West TV.
  
QUOTABLE
TWU Head Coach Trevor Pridie
"Near perfect first half from us and the 2nd half we had to handle a couple runs from Brandon. We knew they would make a run and credit to them they battled hard in the second half and we weren't very sharp. Really it was two different games from 1st to 2nd half today but I am proud of the guys for getting the win. We have a really good test tomorrow against a very good Dino team. Love this group and we want to extend the season and keep it rolling."
 
"Nice balanced scoring attack with Connor, Jerric, Juice and David all playing well offensively."

QUOTABLE
Connor Platz commenting on TWU's win.
"They're a smaller team, so we wanted to beat them up inside and I think we executed our game plan well. The biggest thing was we were getting stops and getting out on transition, so that was really important for us in the second half. They were hitting some tough (shots), so it was harder for us to get out in transition and get those easy ones."
 
AS IT HAPPENED
The Spartans came out on fire and dominated the Cougars on their way to a 20-point, 38-18 lead after the first 10 minutes of play. TWU led by nine points, 19-9, with just under four minutes remaining, but outscored Brandon by the same 19-9 to finish the quarter with a significant lead. The teams were more evenly matched in the second quarter, with TWU expanding their lead to 25 points by outscoring Brandon 26-21 to take a 64-39 lead into the second half.
 
The Bobcats had their best 10 minutes in the third quarter outscoring the Spartans 33-24 to trail TWU by 16 points, 88-72 heading into the final quarter. The Bobcats were able to a 12-point deficit, 97-85, with just under three minutes remaining, but were unable to get any closer as TWU rolled to the 11-point win.

NOTABLE 

• The Spartans had one of their best shooting games of the season finishing the afternoon shooting 46.8 percent (36-77) from the field, 40.6 percent (13-32) from the three-point line, and 94.1 percent (16-17) from the foul line. The Bobcats shot 44.6 percent (33-74), 38.1 percent (16-42), and 66.7 percent (8-12) respectively.
• The Spartans had a 49-34 edge in rebounding.
• TWU finished with eight steals to Brandon's six.
• Both teams had 16 turnovers
• The Spartans are currently 14-15 lifetime against the Bobcats.
• The last time the Spartans defeated the Bisons was 87-78 on January 30, 2016 in Langley, B.C.
• Last week the Spartans swept the Fraser Valley Cascades 97-94 OT, and 86-77 in Abbotsford, B.C.
• Last week the Bobcats swept the Saskatchewan Huskies 74-64 and 60-53, in Brandon, Man. 

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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