By Mark Janzen, Trinity Western University
LANGLEY, B.C. – Victoria scored 27 fourth-quarter points to pull away for a 93-77 win over Trinity Western Saturday at the Langley Events Centre.
After the Spartans tied the game 59-59 late in the third quarter, the Vikes (3-3) responded in emphatic fashion, outscoring TWU (0-6) 34-18 over the final 13 minutes.
Victoria had six players in double-digits in points, led by Jason Scully, who had a team-high 22 points. Mason Loewen added 15 points and seven rebounds, while Justin Kinnear had 14 points and grabbed seven boards.
Vartan Tanielian (White Rock, B.C.) led the Spartans with a game-high 24 points, while Max Viitala (Melbourne, Australia) had 17 points and eight rebounds.
The Vikes shot 56.7 per cent (34-60) as a team and 48.1 per cent (13-27) from 3-point range.
The Spartans shot 42.9 per cent (30-70) from the field and just 36.0 per cent (9-25) from beyond the arc.
The Vikes went up early in the first quarter, taking a 21-12 lead midway through the opening stanza, only to see the Spartans claw back with a 9-1 run to end the quarter.
Victoria continued to hold its lead throughout the second quarter, but the Vikes never extended their advantage beyond eight points and TWU made it a five-point game, 49-44, just before halftime. Scully had a team-high 13 points in the opening half for Victoria, while Viitala responded with 13 points himself to lead TWU.
On the strength of the 3-point shooting of Tanielian and Pogos Trunyan (Sacramento, Calif.), the Spartans strung together a tidy run that put TWU back on even terms, 59-59. Victoria struck back late in the quarter, reestablishing a five-point edge, 66-61, by the end of the quarter.
The fourth quarter was all Vikes as they outscored TWU 27-16 en route to their third win of the year.
NOTABLE
• Victoria had 43 rebounds to TWU's 27.
• The Spartans had only eight turnovers, while Victoria had 12 turnovers.
• TWU's last win on home court was Jan. 30, 2016 when the Spartans beat Brandon 87-78.
NEXT UP
The Spartans travel to play UBC Nov. 17-18, while Victoria returns home to host Saskatchewan.
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