LANGLEY, British Columbia– The Trinity Western Spartans completed the weekend sweep with a solid 65-53 win over the UNBC Timberwolves Saturday night at the Langley Events Centre in Langley, B.C. The win moves the Spartans to 10-8 in Canada West, while the loss drops the Timberwolves to 4-14.
 
Fourth-year guard Shemaiah Abatayo (Vancouver, B.C.), playing her final home game as a Spartan, with 12 points, six assists, and five rebounds, and third-year guard Cassidy Buchanan (Aldergrove, B.C.) with 12 points, eight rebounds, and five assists led the Spartans. Viktoriia Filatova with 18 points, and Sarah Kuklisin with 17 points and five rebounds led the Timberwolves.
 
UP NEXT
The Spartans will finish the Canada West conference play next weekend in Abbotsford, B.C. against the Fraser Valley Cascades on Friday, February 14 and Saturday, February 15. Gametimes are set for 6 p.m. and 3 p.m. and can be seen live on Canada West TV.
 
QUOTABLE
TWU Head Coach Cheryl Jean-Paul
"We were not taking for granted being able to win back-to-back games. ?One of the things that I've shared with our team this week, in particular, is that we spent a lot of years getting to the point where finishing .500 or higher was something that we dreamed about. And to not take for granted all the hard work that people have put into this program to get us to where we expect to have success in at least certain situations. So to have a win at home for seniors night is always something special. The team played with a lot of heart and that says a lot about who Shemaiah is as an emotional leader and the fact that she finds all these little things to get people excited and to get them playing at their best." ?
 
"The shots weren't necessarily dropping in the first little part, but I liked that we stayed in our game plan. We stayed disciplined and we found the little battles to win until the shot started dropping. It was really nice to see almost everybody score and contribute, and we took care of the basketball. We played with some poise and maturity today, which is what we were hoping to see from yesterday, which sets us up to have a great run as we get into playoffs."
 
On senior Shemaiah Abatayo's final home game
"Really happy to celebrate Shamiah today. She has done so much for our program over this last year, but sometimes you have to think about the entire package of a five-year experience in this program. She had been defying the odds since day one and continues to just really find that next phase of our program that she can help us achieve. We are really excited to be a team that's getting into playoffs and Shamaiah has played a big role in that."
 
AS IT HAPPENED
The Spartans and Timberwolves were evenly matched through the opening quarter. UNBC led by four points, 13-9 after a basket by Boykova with 2:17 remaining. But TWU finished with a 4-0 run with Buchanan tying the game 13-13 with two seconds remaining. The two teams were even to start the second quarter with TWU holding a 25-23 lead five minutes into the quarter. But the Spartans finished the quarter with an 8-3 run. Sydney Bradshaw's three-pointer with 30 seconds left gave TWU a seven-point, 33-26 lead after 20 minutes of play. The Spartans finished the night shooting 30.6 percent (11-36) from the field, 30.8 percent (4-13) from the three-point line, and 70 percent (7-10) from the foul line. The Timberwolves shot 31 percent (9-29), 30.8 percent (4-13), and 50 percent (4-8) respectively.
 
TWU and UNBC were even starting the third quarter with TWU maintaining an eight-point lead 41-33 midway through the quarter. But the Spartans finished strong and after a buzzer beater by Van der Hoven had outscored UNBC 23-15 in the quarter to take a 15-point lead 56-41 heading into the final 10 minutes. The Spartans never allowed the Timberwolves to get going over the final 10 minutes. Midway through the quarter, TWU still led by 13 points, 61-48. The Spartans and WolfPack exchanged points over the final five minutes, with TWU taking the 12-point, 65-53 win.
 
NOTABLE 

• The Spartans finished the night shooting 36.4 percent (24-66) from the field, 28.6 percent (6-21) from the three-point line, and 73.3 percent (11-15) from the foul line. The Timberwolves shot 29 percent (18-62), 33.3 percent (8-24), and 56.3 percent (9-16) respectively.
• The Spartans had a 49-40 edge in rebounding.
• UNBC finished with nine steals to TWU's five. The Spartans had 14 turnovers while the Timberwolves had 13.
• Last night the Spartans defeated the Timberwolves 70-63
• On January 18 in Prince George the Spartans defeated the Timberwolves 88-62.
• TWU is currently on an eight-game winning streak against UNBC.
• The Spartans are currently 16-11 lifetime against the Timberwolves.

 
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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