LANGLEY, B.C. – Trinity Western put together another strong showing in the Spartans Summer Series, battling perennial Big Ten contender Marquette Thursday evening, with the visiting Golden Eagles winning 89-59 at the David E. Enarson Gym.
Just four days after pushing Purdue in TWU's summer series opener, the Spartans were withing nine points of Marquette at halftime before a strong second half from the Golden Eagles put the game out of reach.
TWU's
Jack Vandenberg led the Spartans with 19 points to go with four assists and eight rebounds, while
Tyus DeVries had 17 points and six rebounds.
Marquette was led by Royce Parham, who had a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Three other Golden Eagles hit double digits in points, with Damarius Owens collecting 11 points and seven rebounds, while Sananda Fru, who transferred from Louisville this year, had 10 points and nine rebounds, and Nolan Minessale had 10 points, four assists and five rebounds.
Nigel James Jr., who was the 2025-26 Big East Freshman of the year, finished with eight points, four assists and three rebounds in 16 minutes of action.
The Spartans went toe-to-toe with Marquette early in the first quarter taking a 13-9 lead on a DeVries 3-pointer before another DeVries trey put TWU ahead 18-15. However a 10-0 Golden Eagles run to end the quarter gave the visitors a seven-point lead through 10 minutes.
A back-and-forth second quarter saw Marquette outscore the Spartans by just two points, 22-20, as the Golden Eagles just a 47-38 lead at halftime.
However, in the third quarter, the Golden Eagles pulled away for good, outscoring the Spartans 22-6 in the frame to open a 69-42 lead going to the fourth.
TWU had 15 points to Marquette's 20 in the final frame.
QUOTABLE
Trevor Pridie, TWU Head Coach
"To play two high major Division I teams against two incredible coaches this week was a really cool experience for our program. We had another really good showing tonight (against Marquette). We were able to hang in there and I thought we had some really good stretches and we were in it for the entire first half against a really good team. To go against that level of a team was a great experience for our guys. I thought Tyus and Jack were phenomenal for us in these two games. All of our guys have been great and Pearse (Long) and Caleb (Gremaud) have been unbelievable. We have lots to build upon and we'll get back at it next Thursday (against Grand Canyon)."
Shaka Smart, Marquette Head Coach
"I thought Trinity Western played with a lot of spunk, particularly at the start of the game. I told the guys that it was going to be a different setting because yesterday we were playing Calgary on a neutral court, but today we were playing on (TWU's) home floor and they're going to take pride in that. The crowd was great and (TWU) took a lead early, but I thought it was good for us as a team to deal with that. I told the guys at halftime that I'd rather us be in that situation than yesterday when we were up really big at half. We had watched tape of Trinity Western against Purdue so we knew they weren't going to go away. They are a team that plays with good energy and good toughness. It's a really well-coached team. The offence they run, the movement and the cutting created some difficulties for our defence – particularly when we had younger lineups in the game. Their changing defences were also very good – going from man to zone and back to man – and that's something we're certainly not in mid-season form against, but I think our guys did well adjusting and responding."
NOTABLE
• TWU opened the Spartans Summer Series with an 82-66 loss to the defending Big Ten champion Purdue Boilermakers.
• Marquette beat the University of Calgary 102-49 in the first game of their summer trip to Vancouver. They finish the tour with a game against Fraser Valley Aug. 1.
• Marquette's 2025-26 season ended in the first round of the Big East tournament with an 89-87 loss to Xavier at Madison Square Gardens.
• The Spartans were 9-11 in Canada West in 2025-26 before beating Mount Royal in the CW Play-In Game. TWU lost to eventual Canada West champion Victoria in the conference quarter-finals.
• Prior to this summer, the last time TWU hosted NCAA Division I opponents was in 2023-24 when the Spartans took on Boise State, losing 134-70, and UC Santa Barbara, falling 90-84.
• TWU opens its Canada West regular season schedule Oct. 29 at UBC before hosting Victoria in the Spartans home-opener Oct. 31 at 8 p.m. at the LEC.
UP NEXT
TWU will host Grand Canyon Aug. 6 at 7pm the David E. Enarson Gym. The Spartans Summer Series will also feature games against Oregon (Aug. 9) and Oregon State (Aug. 18).
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 CIS 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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