LANGLEY, British Columbia – The Trinity Western Spartans had a tough matchup, but showed well against the NCAA Div. I Oregon Sunday night, falling 112-71 to the visiting Ducks at the David E. Enarson Gym on the TWU campus in Langley, B.C. The loss drops the Spartans to 0-4 in the summer series.
Jack Vandenberg scored 21 points, all coming from beyond the arc, with seven 3-pointers and added four rebounds.
Tyus DeVries contributed 12 points, seven assists, and six rebounds, showcasing his versatility on both ends.
Elijah Weiss made a notable defensive impact with three steals.
Andrew Meadow led the Ducks with 23 points, shooting 64.3 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc, while adding two blocks. Pharaoh Compton contributed 16 points and nine rebounds, shooting 66.7 percent from the field and recording two steals. Jasper Johnson scored 14 points, including four 3-pointers, and provided three assists. Tajh Ariza added eight points, nine rebounds, and three blocks, also distributing five assists.
UP NEXT
The Spartans will now have nine days off before finishing the summer series when they host the Oregon State Beavers on Tuesday, August 18. Game time is set for 7 p.m. (PT) at the David E. Enarson Gym on the TWU campus in Langley, B.C, and can be seen live on Canada West TV.
QUOTABLE
Trevor Pridie, TWU Head Coach
"When you play a team that athletic and that good in transition, the game can turn into kind of like it's a circus. It doesn't become a basketball game, so I wanted to keep it a basketball game and actually execute offence and play in the half court, which I thought we did a really good job of outside of the first quarter. I think we came out and kind of got shell-shocked a little bit. I don't think we're ready for that. You can't really prepare for that kind of athleticism, length, and pace, but I thought once we adjusted amd the guys were really good. I thought we did some really good stuff offensively to put up over 70 points on that team, which is really good."
"We could have thrown the towel and given up at the end of the first, but we answered and responded really well and came out and won the second quarter. The response was phenomenal from the guys, and we started to figure out how to play against their denials, their switching, their aggression. It just takes a while to figure that out. I thought that was a perfect game for us, and that's going to make us a better team. We're going to learn some things about getting open and setting up stuff. We walk away from this game as a better team, and take away some really valuable lessons. We'll never see a team that athletic again in our conference, so just getting that experience is invaluable, because we just don't see that. Getting to play a team that's that disruptive and that athletic is a great experience for our guys."
"Tyus was phenomenal again; I thought it was one of his better games, just not forcing stuff, and had some really good passing. Jack, once again, was making big-time shots for us. He's such a good player, such a good guard for us. Elijah was really good, played so tough, so physical for a first-year kid who redshirted last year. He's just turning into a really good player. He's going to have a really good career, and he's going to have a chance to play some minutes this year, which is really cool. Obviously, when you're short-handed and missing a couple of guys, guys get a chance to step up, so it's neat to see Elijah step up.
Keellaa Gatwech had a really good game; he's getting better every game. Overall, lots of positives to walk away with."
AS IT HAPPENED
Oregon opened the first quarter, outscoring the Spartans 39-16. The visitors capitalized on TWU's eight turnovers, converting them into 17 points, while also dominating fast breaks with 16 points. Trinity Western struggled with shooting, hitting only five of 19 attempts, while Oregon efficiently converted 17 of 26 from the field.
Trinity Western had their best quarter of the night to end the first half, outscoring Oregon 23-22 in the second quarter. The Spartans had a balanced attack scoring in the paint, in transition, and from behind the three-point line. The Spartans matched the Ducks with 13 rebounds and forced two steals to convert defensive stops into transition points. DeVries. At the end of the half, the score stood at Oregon 61, Trinity Western 39.
Oregon regained control in the third period, outscoring TWU 27-11. Oregon's defence was a key factor, recording four blocks and limiting TWU to just four field goals on 19 attempts. In contrast, the Ducks capitalized on their shooting opportunities, converting 12 of 22 shots, including two 3-pointers. The Ducks also controlled the boards, outrebounding the Spartans 17-9, to take an 88-50 lead heading into the final quarter.
Trinity Western finished the game strong, nearly matching Oregon point for point, 21-24 over the final 10 minutes. Despite the Spartans' efforts, including Vandenberg's three 3-pointers, Oregon maintained its edge by converting nine field goals, with a notable 6-for-7 performance from the free-throw line to earn the 41-point win.
NOTABLE
- The Spartans finished the night shooting 34.7 percent (26-75) from the field, 27.9 percent (12-43) from the three-point line, and 77.8 percent (7-9) from the foul line, while the Ducks shot 51.1 percent (46-90), 32.3 percent (10-31), and 83.3 percent (10-12), respectively.
- Oregon had a 57-36 edge in rebounds, 22-20 assists, 9-2 in blocks, and 12-5 in steals.
- Tonight's game was the second of a back-to-back for the Ducks, with Oregon defeating the Fraser Valley Cascades 121-40 in Abbotsford, B.C.
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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