VICTORIA, British Columbia – The Trinity Western Spartans couldn't overcome Saskatchewan's inside advantage, falling 78-57 to the Huskies Friday afternoon at CARSA in Victoria, B.C. The loss drops the Spartans to 2-2 in preseason play.
Second-year guard
Mavleen Chahal (Kelowna, B.C.) with 14 points, four rebounds, and three steals, fifth-year guard
Myrlaine Shelvey (Langley, B.C.) with 10 points, three rebounds, and four assists, and fifth-year guard
Cassidy Buchanan (Aldergrove, B.C.) with 10 points and four rebounds led the Spartans. Fourth-year forward
Blessing Ibekwe (Coquitlam, B.C.) added four points and a team-high six rebounds.
Maya Flindall led the Huskies with 20 points and seven rebounds, Camryn Tait with nine points and two assists, and Ryan Deutscher with eight points and three rebounds. Olivia Harm added eight rebounds and four assists.
UP NEXT
The Spartans will finish the UVic Invitational against the Calgary Dinos on Saturday, October 17, at CARSA in Victoria, B.C. Game time is set for 3 p.m. (PT).
QUOTABLE
Cheryl Jean-Paul, TWU Head Coach
"The question we were hoping we wouldn't have to answer was what happens if the shots don't drop like they did last night, and unfortunately we got our answer. Sask plays with length and exposed some of our habits that we've been able to shoot out of over the past few games. They are the type of opponent that keeps attacking the areas that we haven't corrected, so a valuable lesson to learn at this point in the season. We let too much happen by the time some of the shots started dropping in the second half, but the defensive effort couldn't stand on its own. We'll definitely watch and learn from this game, and it will help us prep for regular season in 2 weeks."
AS IT HAPPENED
The Spartans took an early 7-5 lead following a layup from
Moriah Jansen. The teams traded the lead before a three-point play from
Kiki Tupas-Singh put TWU ahead 12-11 with 3:28 remaining in the opening quarter. But Saskatchewan scored the final seven points of the quarter to take an 18-12 lead after 10 minutes. The Spartans stayed within reach in the second quarter, with Buchanan scoring eight points in the frame. A pair of Buchanan free throws cut the Huskies' lead to two points, 26-24, with 4:04 remaining. However, Saskatchewan finished the half on a 9-0 run to lead 35-24 at the break.
The Huskies extended their lead to 15 points, 39-24, early in the third quarter before TWU responded with a 9-2 run. A Jansen free throw cut the lead to eight, 41-33, with 5:45 remaining. But Flindall scored 10 consecutive Saskatchewan points as the Huskies used a 12-0 run to push their lead to 20 points, 53-33. A late Shelvey three-pointer made it 55-38 heading into the final 10 minutes. Chahal scored 11 points in the fourth quarter, including three three-pointers, but TWU was unable to close the gap. Saskatchewan built its largest lead of the game, 76-53, with 3:19 remaining before finishing with the 21-point win.
NOTABLE
- The Spartans finished the afternoon shooting 29.0 percent (18-62) from the field, 33.3 percent (7-21) from the three-point line, and 77.8 percent (14-18) from the foul line, while Saskatchewan shot 44.1 percent (30-68), 30.8 percent (4-13), and 82.4 percent (14-17), respectively.
- Saskatchewan had a 49-27 edge in rebounds and 12-8 in assists, while TWU had an 8-3 edge in steals.
- The Spartans finished with 16 turnovers, while the Huskies finished with 14 turnovers.
- Saskatchewan outscored TWU 46-14 in the paint.
- Chahal finished 4-7 from the three-point line, scoring all 14 of her points in the second half.
- The Spartans open Canada West conference play on Thursday, October 29, on the road against the UBC Thunderbirds.
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 and women's and men's disc golf. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 15 U SPORTS team championships and 35 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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