VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The Trinity Western Spartans got off to a slow start and were unable to recover as the UBC Thunderbirds defeated the Spartans 86-56 Friday night at the War Memorial Gym in Vancouver, B.C. The loss drops the Spartans to 5-8 in Canada West play, while the win improves the Thunderbirds to 9-2.
 
The Thunderbirds jumped out to an 18-point, 30-12, lead after the opening 10 minutes. TWU matched UBC in the second quarter but still trailed 47-29 at the half.  The Spartans still trailed by 18 points after 30 minutes, 62-44, before the Thunderbirds secured the win by outscoring the Spartans 24-12 in the fourth quarter to give UBC the 30-point win.
 
Fourth-year guard Marcus Shankar (Campbell River, B.C.) with 16 points and two steals, fourth-year guard Tyus DeVries (Chilliwack, B.C.) with nine points and nine rebounds, and Pearse Long with eight points, 8 rebounds, and two blocks led the Spartans. Nylan Roberts with 21 points, and 14 rebounds, and Nikola Guzina with 21 points and 12 rebounds led the Thunderbirds.
 
UP NEXT
The Spartans and Thunderbirds will finish off the two-game series tomorrow afternoon at War Memorial Gym in Vancouver, B.C. Game time is set for 6 p.m. (PT) and can be seen live on Canada West TV.
 
NOTABLE

• The Spartans finished the night shooting 30 percent (21-70) from the field, 16.2 percent (6-37) from the three-point line, and 61.5 percent (8-13) from the foul line, while UBC shot 41.7 percent (35-84), 25 percent (8-32) and 66.7 percent (8-12) respectively.
• UBC had a 57-44 edge in rebounds, 13-6 in steals, and 19-10 in assists.
• The Spartans finished with 17 turnovers, while the Thunderbirds finished with 12 turnovers.
• The Spartans are currently 16-64 lifetime against the UBC Thunderbirds.
• Earlier this year, TWU lost 93-82 to UBC on October 25 at the Langley Events Centre.
• TWU has won three of its last four games.
• In their final games before the Christmas break, TWU split with the Lethbridge Pronghorns, losing 77-70 and winning 87-64 at home in Langley, B.C.
• In their final first-semester games, the UBC Thunderbirds swept with the UBC Okanagan Heat, winning 79-74 and 99-89 in Kelowna, B.C.

 
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.  
 
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