LANGLEY, British Columbia – Second-year forward
Moriah Jansen (Spallumcheen, B.C.) recorded her second career double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds, and fifth-year guard
Cassidy Buchanan (Aldergrove, B.C.) added a team-high 21 points and seven rebounds as the No. 9 Trinity Western Spartans defeated the Fraser Valley Cascades 70-62 Thursday evening at the Langley Events Centre. The Spartans improved to 3-0 in Canada West play, while the Cascades fell to 1-2.
TWU broke the game open by outscoring UFV 21-10 in the third quarter, turning a three-point halftime advantage into a 60-46 lead. The Cascades rallied in the fourth to cut the deficit to five, but the Spartans held on, with Buchanan hitting two late three-pointers to secure the win.
Fifth-year guard
Myrlaine Shelvey (Langley, B.C.) added 12 points, four rebounds and four steals, while second-year guard
Mavleen Chahal (Kelowna, B.C.) contributed 10 points, seven rebounds and a game-high six assists. Jansen added three assists while shooting five-for-nine from the field.
Miah Schuurman led Fraser Valley with 18 points and seven rebounds, while Bernie Leda scored 15 points. Fania Taylor added eight points and Jessica Parkinson collected seven rebounds.
QUOTABLE
Cheryl Jean-Paul, TWU Head Coach
"There have been so many different versions of ourselves this season. We're still working through some of the challenges we've faced in previous games. Our third quarters have been our most passive and lowest-scoring quarters, and we flipped the script on that today. That's a great step for us."
"But we're not always responding to the pushes the other team is making in the right way. I thought we made some uncharacteristic mistakes with our turnovers and missed opportunities. We missed a lot at the rim, and I think we were either expecting more contact or something else."
"There's still a level of maturity we're trying to achieve. We have to understand that every game is unique. When we're playing all these split weekends back-to-back and facing very different teams from one night to the next, we have to understand that what worked in the previous game doesn't matter anymore because we're playing a completely different opponent."
"They did some things differently from other teams we've played. Although we've handled pressure before, I don't think we did a great job of that today. But at the end of the day, you still have to find a way to grind out the win, which we did."
"We had some great efforts from several different people we maybe haven't seen as much of in the past few games. You come away with a win and gain a little more depth, and that's going to help us as we continue through a very difficult first semester."
UP NEXT
The Spartans visit the Alberta Pandas on Friday, November 13, and Saturday, November 14, at the Saville Community Sports Centre in Edmonton. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. (MT) Friday and 5 p.m. (MT) Saturday, with both games available on Canada West TV.
AS IT HAPPENED
TWU opened with five unanswered points before UFV worked its way back into the game and took a 19-16 lead. Buchanan tied the score with a three-pointer, and Chahal's layup with 23 seconds remaining gave the Spartans a 21-19 advantage after the first quarter.
Fraser Valley moved ahead 28-24 midway through the second quarter and led 36-33 late in the half. Shelvey responded with consecutive three-pointers, including one with three seconds remaining, to send TWU into the break ahead 39-36.
Fourth-year forward
Blessing Ibekwe (Coquitlam, B.C.), Jansen and Buchanan scored to open the third quarter with a 6-0 TWU run. Buchanan scored eight points in the frame, and first-year guard
Kiki Tupas-Singh (Victoria, B.C.) hit a three-pointer to give the Spartans a 60-44 lead before UFV scored the final basket. TWU forced seven turnovers and held the Cascades to four-for-13 shooting in the quarter.
Ibekwe scored to open the fourth and restore a 16-point lead, but UFV answered with a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to six, 62-56. Jansen ended the run with a jumper at 5:47. Buchanan's three-pointer with 2:42 remaining pushed the margin to nine, but the Cascades closed to 67-62 with 1:26 left. Buchanan connected again from beyond the arc with 31 seconds remaining to seal the victory.
NOTABLE
- TWU is now 20-57 all-time against Fraser Valley, including a 20-49 record in conference regular season meetings.
- Jansen's 12 rebounds matched her career high, established at UNBC on November 7, 2025. Her double-double was her first of the season.
- The Spartans held a 48-41 rebounding advantage, including 18 offensive rebounds, and tied the program single-game record with nine blocked shots, matching the totals against UBC Okanagan on February 8, 2013, and at Fraser Valley on February 10, 2024. Shelvey, Buchanan, Ibekwe and third-year forward Joy Mofolasayo (Edmonton, Alta.) each blocked two shots, while Jansen added one.
- TWU shot 39.2 percent (29-74) from the field, 30 percent (9-30) from three-point range and 50 percent (3-6) at the foul line. UFV shot 37.5 percent (24-64), 15.8 percent (3-19) and 73.3 percent (11-15), respectively.
- Tupas-Singh finished with six points, three assists and four steals. Buchanan has scored 63 points through three games and leads TWU with a 21.0-point average.
- The Spartans have won their last two meetings with the Cascades. The teams meet again January 8 in Abbotsford.
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 and field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes independently in men's rugby and women's and men's disc golf. Since joining 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 and holds three Canada Research Chairs. Through its whole-person, Christ-centred approach to education, TWU offers a wide range of undergraduate, graduate and adult degree-completion programs that equip leaders of character and competence to make a positive impact in the lives of others.
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