By Mark Janzen, Trinity Western University
LANGLEY, B.C. – The Spartans captured their sixth win in a row with a decisive 88-76 victory over visiting Calgary Friday at the Langley Events Centre.
The Spartans exploded with a 27-point third quarter to take control of the contest, earning a 15-point lead with 10 minutes to play. A 14-4 run late in the frame proved to be the difference.
TWU (11-2) pushed its lead to as much as 21 points in the fourth quarter before holding off the Dinos (8-5) late.
Kayla Gordon (Prince George, B.C.) put up a double-double with 25 points and 11 boards to go with seven assists. Tessa Ratzlaff (Abbotsford, B.C.) had a game-high 26 points to go with eight rebounds.
With 11 points on the night, fourth-year TWU guard Jessie Brown (Langley) eclipsed 1,000 points for her career. She now sits at 1,001.
Brianna Ghali had 12 points to leave Calgary, while Anmol Mattu and Jenna Spruyt had 10 points each.
The Dinos took an early first-quarter lead, opening a 20-11 lead on the strength of 10 points from Ghali. However, TWU responded with a 10-0 run in the final 1:08 of the frame to take a 21-20 edge through 10 minutes.
The Spartans pushed their lead to nine, 42-33, when Brown knocked down a 3-pointer, but a late run from the visitors closed the gap to five points, 42-38, at halftime.
Ratzlaff put up 16 points and eight rebounds in the first half alone, while Gordon wasn't far behind with 11 points and seven boards. Ghali had 12 points for the Dinos.
Shooting 60 per cent from the field (9-15), the Spartans pushed their lead to 15 points through the end of the third quarter. With Gordon putting up eight points to lead the home side, she had a double-double after 30 minutes, with 21 points and 10 boards.
TWU extended its advantage to 21 points in the fourth quarter before settling for an 12-point victory.
QUOTABLE
TWU Head Coach Cheryl Jean-Paul
On the Game
"Calgary is a team that you have to match the intensity that they bring in transition and I thought we responded well to that. There are so many things we can learn from each game and today it was about stopping the ball in transition and not giving up the open looks. I thought we followed the game plan fairly well. Once we settled into the game, we pushed back and that's what the third quarter represented.
"It was nice to be able to go ahead at halftime and then the game broke loose and I think that's a testament to how hard the team has been working in practice and their ability to work well together and create for each other. This was a great statement for us to get that first game of the weekend."
On Jessie Brown Eclipsing 1,000 Career Points
"It comes down to her ability to hit shots throughout her entire career. She's basically been averaging double-digits for her whole career. I don't know how many players can say they have done that from Day 1. Teams have known that she's a shooter for her entire career, yet she still finds ways to get shots. A lot of it is her basketball IQ and she still has one of the fastest shot releases out there. If you lose her for a split second, you're probably going to pay the price."
NOTABLE
• The last time Calgary and TWU played was nearly two years ago – Jan. 22-23, 2016 – with the Dinos winning both games, 81-50 and 76-63.
• TWU's only previous win over Calgary was Nov. 1, 2013 (66-58). Gordon is the lone current Spartan who played in that game.
• Brown joins an elite 1,000-point club of Spartans women's basketball stars, which includes TWU alums Holly Strom (1,112) and Taylor Stuart (1,007) along with teammate Gordon (1,062).
• Brown's 1,000th point made it 69-53 for the Spartans in the third quarter.
NEXT UP
The Spartans and Dinos play the rematch Saturday at 5 p.m. (PT) at the LEC.
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