CALGARY, Alberta – The Trinity Western Spartans season came to an end with a 98-84 loss to the No. 3 Calgary Dinos in the Canada West quarter-final at the Jack Simpson Gym Saturday night in Calgary, Alta. The win propels the Dinos on to the Canada West final-four next week.
 
The Spartans led 29-17 at the end of the first quarter, 44-43 at the half, and were tied 68-68 after three quarters.
 
The Spartans had four players hit double-digit scoring with fourth-year David Mutabazi (Delta, B.C.) with 28 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, fifth-year guard Josh Belvin (Long Beach, Calf.) with 18 points, four rebounds, four assists, and two steals, fifth-year guard Jerric Palma (Richmond, B.C.) with 14 points and four rebounds, and third-year guard Marcus Shankar (Campbell River, B.C.) with 11 points, and four rebounds all hitting double digits. Noah Wharton with 25 points and six rebounds, and Nate Petrone with 24 points, eight assists, and five rebounds, and Aidan Smith with 22 points, and six rebounds all hitting the 20-point mark for the Dinos.
QUOTABLE
TWU Head Coach Trevor Pridie
""I thought we played well tonight, It was a one-possession game basically the whole night. Super unfortunate break that (Josh Belvin) sprains his ankle with about six minutes left. Losing him, and then Jerric (Palma) rolls his ankle – arguably our two best guys sprain their ankles in the last six minutes. That's just a really crappy break.
 
"Calgary's such a good team, too. They're No. 3 in the country. They're deserving of that. They shouldn't be a four-seed. We knew we had a really good test with these guys – Petrone and Wharton are the best backcourt in the country, in my opinion. To beat them, you've got to play you're A game and you've got to catch some breaks. I thought we were right there.
 
"It was a good game of runs. We got up early, and they came back. It was a really good game between two really good teams. I just wish this was a semifinal game instead of a quarterfinal game, but it is what it is."
 
AS IT HAPPENED
The Spartans were the better team in the first 10 minutes as they led by 12 points, 29-17 after the opening quarter. But the Dinos found their game in the second quarter and outscored TWU 26-15 to make it a one-point game,44-43 at the end of the half.
 
At the end of the third quarter, the game was all tied up at 68-68. With TWU injuries down the stretch, the Dinos were able to put the game away in the final quarter, outscoring TWU 30-16 to advance to the Canada West final four.
 
NOTABLE 

• The Spartans had one of their best shooting games of the season finishing the afternoon shooting 45.8 percent (33-72) from the field, 45.5 percent (15-33) from the three-point line, and 75 percent (3-4) from the foul line. The Dinos shot 48.1 percent (37-77), 35 percent (14-40), and 90.9 percent (10-11) respectively.
• The Dinos had a 42-35 edge in rebounding.
• TWU finished with three steals to Calgary's eight.
• The Spartans had 13 turnovers, while Calgary had eight.
• The Spartans are currently 11-23 lifetime against the Dinos.
• The last time the Spartans defeated the Dinos was 102-92 in the Canada West playoffs on March 4, 2022.

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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