Scott Stewart, Spartans Athletics
LANGLEY, B.C. – The Trinity Western Spartans used a 14 point run in the fourth quarter to defeat the University of Northern British Columbia 61-54 Saturday night at the Langley Events Centre. The weekend sweep improves the Spartans to 3-1 on the season, while the loss drops the Timberwolves to 0-4.
Tessa Ratzlaff with 18 points and 12 rebounds, Jessie Brown with 17 points and five rebounds, and Sarah Buckingham with 11 points and nine rebounds led the Spartans. Maria Mongomo with 10 points and 10 rebounds, Vasiliki Louka with 14 points and eight rebounds, and Madison Landry with 12 points led the Timberwolves.
The Spartans, who trailed 34-30 after the first half, had a solid third quarter to tie the game at 44-44 to enter the final frame. UNBC regained the advantage and took a 54-47 lead with 4:25 minutes remaining.
But from there it was all TWU as the Spartans outscored UNBC 14-0 down the stretch to earn the seven-point victory.
QUOTABLE
Head Coach Cheryl Jean-Paul
"What a battle - tonight presented a challenge for us to overcome. Missed opportunities in some of the easy looks prevented us from breaking out earlier in the game but I thought we showed composure and maturity in the last three minutes. Sometimes the wins will be tougher than you want them to be, but I thought we had some key rebounds at the end that created the tempo we weren't finding earlier in the game."
"To be able to get two games against another tough Canada West opponent is something that won't be easy this season and I think we can continue to build on what every game has been teaching us."
NOTABLE
-TWU is now on a three game winning streak.
-UNBC was extremely hot to start the game as they shot 71 per-cent from the field and 75 per cent from the three-point line.
-TWU had a 49-41 edge in rebounds.
-The Spartans shot a poor 28.2 per cent from the field in the game, 20-71.
NEXT UP
The Spartans will now host the University of Victoria Vikes for a weekend double-header on Fri. Nov. 10 and Sat. Nov. 11 at the Langley Events Centre. While UNBC will head home to host the UBC Thunderbirds on Friday and Saturday.
-TW-