LANGLEY, British Columbia – Fifth-year guard
Cassidy Buchanan (Aldergrove, B.C.) scored 23 points and fourth-year forward
Blessing Ibekwe (Coquitlam, B.C.) collected 17 rebounds and 10 points for her first career double-double, as the Trinity Western Spartans defeated the Victoria Vikes 72-56 Saturday at the Langley Events Centre. The Spartans improved to 2-0 in Canada West play, while Victoria fell to 0-2.
TWU took control with a 16-3 run to close the first half, then outscored Victoria 24-13 in the third quarter to build a 22-point cushion. Ibekwe anchored a 54-36 rebounding advantage, with the Spartans turning 18 offensive rebounds into 22 second-chance points.
Second-year forward
Moriah Jansen (Spallumcheen, B.C.) added 15 points, five rebounds and five assists, while second-year guard
Mavleen Chahal (Kelowna, B.C.) finished with 10 points, six rebounds and five assists. Buchanan and Chahal each made three three-pointers, accounting for all six of TWU's makes from beyond the arc.
Avery Geddes led Victoria with 19 points, while Makena Anderson contributed 17 points and nine rebounds.
QUOTABLE
Cheryl Jean-Paul, TWU Head Coach
"Tonight was going to be a different game. It was more of a dogfight, and I think that, coming in after a great win on Thursday, knowing the opponent's makeup is dramatically different, how fast can our team adjust to that? ?Swing trip weekends are really hard. It's hard to prepare for two different teams with different styles of play and different strengths. We knew we had to take away some of the scoring looks from their top two players, Anderson and Geddes, who have obviously been doing a lot of heavy lifting for their group. I think we gave them too many easy shots, but I thought we responded in kind by distributing the ball and finding different scoring looks. And at the end of the day, when you have multiple players that can do that, the numbers game just won. It wins in our favour."
On Blessing Ibekwe's career game
So I talked with Blessing about how Nicole Franson ('23) had career double-doubles throughout most of her time in our program. And I challenged her to do the job, both in terms of asking for the ball and for rebounding, and she did that today. I think that's a great early sign of things to come this season.
UP NEXT
The Spartans host the Fraser Valley Cascades on Thursday, November 5, at the Langley Events Centre. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. Pacific time, with the game available on Canada West TV at CanadaWest.tv.
AS IT HAPPENED
Jansen scored six first-quarter points as TWU established a 20-16 lead. After Victoria drew even at 11-11, Chahal's three-pointer started a 7-0 Spartans run. Ibekwe's jumper with 16 seconds remaining gave TWU its four-point advantage at the break.
Victoria opened the second quarter with six unanswered points to move ahead 22-20. Buchanan tied the game with a jumper, beginning an 11-0 TWU response that included four points from Ibekwe. The Spartans held Victoria to three points over the final seven minutes of the half, and Jansen's layup with two seconds remaining sent TWU into the break leading 36-25.
The Vikes cut the deficit to six early in the third quarter, but TWU answered again. Buchanan scored 10 points in the frame, and the Spartans closed the quarter on an 11-0 run. Chahal hit consecutive three-pointers, Buchanan added another, and Jansen made two free throws to put TWU ahead 60-38.
Ibekwe opened the fourth-quarter scoring to give the Spartans their largest lead at 62-38. Victoria won the final quarter 18-12, but TWU maintained a double-digit advantage throughout to secure its second opening-week victory.
NOTABLE
- TWU shot 41.4 percent (29-70) from the field, 27.3 percent (6-22) from three-point range and 80 percent (8-10) at the foul line. Victoria finished at 31.9 percent (22-69), 33.3 percent (7-21) and 55.6 percent (5-9), respectively.
- The Spartans outscored Victoria 38-24 in the paint and 22-5 on second-chance opportunities. TWU also led 20-16 in assists and blocked seven shots.
- TWU improved to 23-50 all-time against Victoria, including 21-47 in Canada West regular-season meetings. The Spartans also won the previous meeting, 44-38 in Langley on January 17, 2026.
- Ibekwe's 17 rebounds tied for third-most in a game in TWU's conference record book and fifth-most in its overall record book. She collected seven offensive rebounds, shot 5-for-6 from the field and added two blocked shots.
- Ibekwe finished two rebounds shy of TWU's single-game record of 19, shared by Corina Reimer and Nicole Fransson. Reimer set the mark in a 60-54 loss at Manitoba on February 12, 2011, and Fransson matched it in a 72-65 loss at Winnipeg on February 10, 2023.
- Buchanan scored 42 points over TWU's two opening-week victories, following her 19-point performance in Thursday's 76-67 win at UBC. Ibekwe totaled 20 points and 24 rebounds across the two games.
ABOUT SPARTAN ATHLETICS
Trinity Western's Spartans compete in 13 Canada West sports as members of U SPORTS: women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey, cross country and track and field, plus women's rugby sevens. The university also fields independent teams in men's rugby and women's and men's disc golf. Since joining U SPORTS in 1999, TWU has earned 15 national team titles and 35 Canada West team championships. Visit GoSpartans.ca for news, schedules and results.
ABOUT TRINITY WESTERN UNIVERSITY
Trinity Western University offers undergraduate, graduate and adult degree-completion programs through a Christ-centred approach to whole-person education. TWU prepares graduates to lead with character and competence and contribute positively to their communities. The university has received seven consecutive A+ ratings for teaching and learning quality and holds three Canada Research Chairs. Learn more at TWU.ca.
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