Trailing by just one point at the half, the Trinity Western Spartans were undone by the third quarter, losing 72-60 to the Thompson Rivers WolfPack on Friday (Feb. 1) in Kamloops.
The loss drops the Spartans women’s basketball team to 5-13 while the WolfPack improved to 14-5 as they continue the hunt for top spot in the Pacific Division.
“We were in a close battle right from the start and were able to respond to what they were doing for the first part of the game,” said Trinity Western coach Cheryl Jean-Paul.
“The challenge was that we struggled to find the scores we needed in the second half to be able to maintain pressure.
“Our struggles from the perimeter really allowing them to clog the lanes defensively and made it tough to get some of the looks that have been working for us.”
The coach was impressed that her team put up a fight against a WolfPack squad in the thick of a race for top spot in their division.
“I was really proud of how we didn’t back down,” she said.
“We played hard and everyone contributed to make it as tough for them as possible.
“For us to learn what it takes to make a playoff push will be important for the future of this program. Every weekend has had valuable lessons to help us move towards that.”
Holly Strom led the Spartans with 24 points and a dozen rebounds. Janelle Traber chipped in with 15 points and six rebounds and Emily Knauff had 13 points, five rebounds and five assists.
The Spartans are back in action on Feb. 8 and 9 when they host the UBC Okanagan Heat at the Langley Events Centre.
