By Mark Janzen, Trinity Western University
LANGLEY, B.C. – On the strength of 33 points and 10 rebounds from Faith Hezekiah, Winnipeg knocked off Trinity Western 70-60 Saturday at the Langley Events Centre.
A day after the Spartans (8-4) earned a two-point win over the Wesmen, the visitors bounced back to earn their fifth win of the season, improving to 5-9.
With the teams tied 52-52 early in the fourth quarter, Winnipeg went on a 7-0 run, capped by a Hezekiah jumper that gave the Wesmen a 59-52 lead. From there, TWU was never closer than six points.
After Hezekiah, it was Farrah Castillo collecting 16 points and six rebounds, while Robyn Boulanger had 11 points.
TWU's Tessa Ratzlaff (Abbotsford, B.C.), who was held to just 25 minutes due to foul trouble, had a team-high 19 points, while Jessie Brown (Langley) had 16 points and six rebounds. Sarah Buckingham (Langley) had 10 points, six assists and five rebounds.
The Wesmen committed just eight turnovers to the Spartans 18. Winnipeg shot 39.4 per cent (26-66) from the field, while TWU shot 37.3 per cent (22-59). TWU outrebounded the Wesmen 40-37.
The Spartans raced out to a 9-0 lead in the opening quarter and were up 15-5 through 10 minutes. Coming off a 27-point night Friday, Ratzlaff opened the contest with eight points to lead TWU in the first quarter. TWU also had a 15-6 edge on the glass.
The second quarter was a different story, with Winnipeg opening the frame with an 11-0 run to take a 16-15 lead. The Spartans surged back ahead, 25-19, after a Buckingham 3-pointer. However, Winnipeg responded late, trailing by just one point, 29-28, going into the break after outscoring TWU 23-14 in the quarter.
Winnipeg continued to press in the third quarter and the Wesmen outscored TWU 23-20 in the frame to go up 51-49 entering the fourth quarter. Hezekiah had 11 points in the third quarter alone to lead Winnipeg. Brown replied with 12 points for TWU, including three for three shooting from beyond the arc.
The Wesmen took over early in the fourth quarter, building their 59-52 advantage with 6:32 still to play before cruising to the 10-point win.
QUOTABLE
Cheryl Jean-Paul – TWU Coach
"My comments to the team after the game were not so much based on the game itself, but rather what do we do with what happened today. Winnipeg is in a position, as we are, where we're fighting for something and they showed a sense of urgency that we didn't. (Hezekiah) showed that she wanted this game more than our team did. She played the entire game and she fought to get the scores she wanted to and I don't think we responded to that. We went away from some of the things that allowed us to have early success and I saw defeat in our team today and, as a coach, I'm not happy about that. There was no reason to give up, even when we were down late. So, I'm hoping this games stays with us for a long time because I'm going to use this game as motivation. I'm hoping we don't need to experience this again this semester and if we do, we'll just learn the same hard lessons."
NOTABLE
• The Wesmen were a perfect 13 for 13 from the free throw line. TWU was 10 for 13.
• The last time these two teams played in the regular season was Jan. 6-7, 2017 when they split the weekend in Winnipeg.
• The last time TWU hosted the Wesmen was Feb. 6-7, 2015, with Winnipeg winning both games.
About TWU
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.
About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 10 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, cross country and track & field. TWU also competes in the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League (BCIHL) in men's hockey. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 11 U SPORTS team championships and 25 Canada West team championships.
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