The Trinity Western Spartans led from start to finish in earning their first victory of the season.
The Spartans women’s basketball team defeated the Manitoba Bisons 63-54 on Saturday at the Langley Events Centre. They also hosted the Winnipeg Wesmen on Friday, losing 68-44 and the team is now 1-7.
Against Manitoba, the Spartans led by just four points at the half, but started the second quarter with an 11-1 run to put the game out of reach.
“I thought we played a lot better in terms of basic team-play for the first three quarters,” said Spartans coach Cheryl Jean-Paul.
“I still think we have a lot of things to fix in terms of how we approach the fourth quarter but we were able to fight through and get the win. I hope this was a good character-building experience for us. It wasn’t pretty but it was effective.
“I’m proud of the girls for fighting hard and they wanted this. I think Emily (Knauff) came in a hit some critical shots in the fourth quarter and we were able to maintain our composure just long enough to win the game.”
Holly Strom led the team with 23 points and four rebounds while Knauff had 18 points, five boards and three steals.
Chelsey Olsen chipped in with a game-high 13 rebounds to go along with eight points.
Against Winnipeg, Strom led the team with 14 points while Knauff and Olsen had 10 points apiece.
The team closes their first half schedule with a Prairie road trip Friday in Regina and Saturday in Brandon.
