The Trinity Western Spartans will be playing for a medal this weekend at the CIS men’s basketball final 8 championships.
But the colour of the medal is yet to be determined.
The Spartans, seeded fifth at the tournament being held at the Halifax Metro Centre, knocked off the No. 4 Lakehead Thunderwolves 82-74 on Friday afternoon.
Trinity Western won by building a big lead early — they never trailed in the game — and then surviving a late Thunderwolves rally. Lakehead, which trailed by 14, 11 and 17 at the quarter breaks, got to within six points in the fourth quarter, but by that time, only 1:23 remained.
Jacob Doerksen and Kyle Coston scored 20 points apiece for the Spartans.
Coston also had 11 rebounds and earned player of the game honours.
Tyrell Mara finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
For the game, Trinity Western shot 48 per cent from the field, but only 19 per cent (3-for-16) from the three-point line. By comparison, Lakehead shot 11-for-38 from beyond the arc.
The win sets up a semifinal showdown with top-ranked UBC on Saturday (March 12). During the Canada West regular season, UBC beat Trinity Western both times the teams met.
