The Winnipeg Wesmen are unbeaten no more.
The Trinity Western Spartans women鈥檚 basketball handed the host side Winnipeg their first loss in a dozen games, defeating the ninth-ranked Wesmen 72-68 on Saturday night at the Dr. David F. Anderson Gymnasium.
The Spartans, who improved to 7-5, used an impressive 21-10 fourth quarter to rally and earn the victory. It was in stark contrast the night before when Winnipeg outscored TWU 30-8 over the final 10 minutes to turn a three-point game into a 90-65 blowout victory.
鈥淲hat a great response to yesterday鈥檚 fourth quarter,鈥� said Spartans coach Cheryl Jean-Paul.
鈥淓veryone played with heart, resilience and worked hard to stay together as a team. We talked about risking failure and just being more assertive with the ball and we definitely achieved that.鈥�
The Spartans were led by Kayla Gordon鈥檚 23 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
The duo of Natalie Carkner (13 points) and Jessie Brown (12 points) each hit four three-pointers as the Spartans connected on 11-of-21 shots from beyond the arc.
Ashleigh Barnes chipped in with eight points and 11 rebounds while Sarah Buckingham and Julia Marshall both came off the bench to contribute significant minutes and six points apiece.
In Friday鈥檚 loss, Tessa Ratzlaff led TWU with 31 points and nine rebounds but the Spartans鈥� leading scorer had to miss the rematch to attend a family wedding.
鈥⑩赌⑩赌�
The result was the same both nights, but the effort was much better the second time around for the Trinity Western Spartans men鈥檚 basketball team.
The Spartans were in Winnipeg against the Wesmen at the Dr. David F. Anderson Gymnasium.
TWU lost the opener 111-65 but they were within a point with 23 seconds to play in the second game, ultimately losing 84-80 to fall to 2-10 on the season.
鈥淲e were very focused tonight; our team competed,鈥� said Spartans coach Aaron Muhic.
鈥淎nytime we hold a team to under 30 per cent from the field, we have a chance to win.鈥�
Max Viitala led the Spartans with 24 points while Patrick Vandervelden had 20 points and 18 rebounds.
In Friday鈥檚 blowout loss, Pogos Trunyan came off the bench to score a team-high 18 points, including four three-pointers.
Both Spartans teams are off this week and return to action on Jan. 20 and 21 when they host the Manitoba Bisons.
Gary Ahuja 黑马磁力 Times file photo
Trinity Western Spartans' Max Viitala goes up for the shot during his team's game against the UFV Cascades earlier this season. Viitala led his team with 24 points but they came up short, losing 84-80 to the Winnipeg Wesmen in Winnipeg on Saturday.
