Scheduled Game: SIMON FRASER- CW Playoffs

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GAME RESULTS 1 2 T SFU Clan 35 23 58 TWU Spartans 47 23 70 « FINAL

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Game Recap

Men's Basketball (Pacific Division Semifinal)
Thursday, February 13, 2003
TWU Spartans (70) vs the Simon Fraser University Clan (58)

Spartans Draw First Blood...

Langley, British Columbia - Trinity Western University's men's basketball team is now 1-0 when hosting CIS playoff games, as the Spartans defeated the Simon Fraser University Clan 70-58 Thursday night. The win gives the host Spartans a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three Canada West Pacific Division Semifinal.

Pacific Division First Team All-Stars Adam Friesen (Abbotsford, BC) and Logan Kitteringham (Langley, BC) once again led the Spartans. Friesen controlled the backcourt with 25 points, 4 assists and 4 steals, while Kitteringham dominated the inside with 12 points and a school CIS record 19 rebounds. The strange stat of the game was that the Spartans only had four players put points up on the board; in addition to Friesen and Kitteringham only Dan Young (Abbotsford, BC) (17 points) and Jon Lundgren (Winnipeg, MB) (16 points) were able to tally for the Spartans. On the other side of the scorer's table, Pasha Bains led the Clan with 18 points and 7 rebounds.

As predicted, tonight's game was not a high-scoring, fast-paced shootout. Both teams were concentrating on defense, and despite having one of their best defenders in foul trouble for most of the night (Dave Martens-Abbotsford, BC), the Spartans held SFU to a combined 19-55 (34.5%) shooting performance.

TWU finally opened the scoring over a minute into the game, off a jumper by Dan Young, to go up 2-0. The first half stayed close with the lead changing hands five times before the Spartans tied it up at 17 right before the first media timeout (12:00). From then on, SFU was forced to play catch-up and watch from a distance as the home team pulled away. By halftime Trinity Western was up 47-35, thanks in no small part to 18 first-half points from Adam Friesen. The Spartans shot a scorching 51.6% from the field, including 40.0% from the 3-point line, compared to SFU's 33.3% and 46.2% (which kept the score close), respectively.

The Spartans built big leads throughout the contest only to have the Clan continually make runs to keep the score close. The question late in the game was whether or not the Clan would make a final push and take control of the game. Then, with 7:38 remaining, Pasha Bains made it a game when he drained a three to bring the Clan back to within three points, 59-56.

That's when the Spartans' defense stepped up and said "No more". First Dan Young made a lay-up with seven minutes to go-TWU up 5. Then Logan Kitteringham drained one of two foul shots-Spartans by 6 with 5:30 to go. A media timeout gave the Clan a chance to regroup, but TWU kept rolling. At the 3:49 mark TWU's Jon Lundgren went 1-2 from the foul line to give the Spartans a 7-point lead, 63-56.

TWU was not having a good half from the foul line and it looked like the Clan were about to make another run. But any hope that the SFU had of getting back in the game was squashed when Adam Friesen drained a three from just outside Abbotsford with 2:54 remaining to give the Spartans a ten-point lead, 66-56. The Spartan faithful erupted and stayed energized for the remainder of the contest as they watched their team earn their first ever CIS playoff victory.

The twelve-minute mark of the first half proved to be the turning point of the game, as the Clan could get no closer than within two points in the second half. TWU's relentless defense forced SFU into bad shooting, which, when combined with limited offensive options, left them on the losing end of the final score.

The two teams square off for Game 2 tomorrow night at TWU. Game time is set for 7:00 pm.

Game Notes: After going 13-13 from the foul line in the first half the Spartans only managed to hit 4-10in the second...the Spartans out-rebounded the Clan 42-30...TWU also had the edge in visits to the foul line, 17-23 to 11-15...the Spartans had another solid shooting night going 25-55 from the field (45.5%)...the Spartans are now 4-1 against the Clan this season; their only loss was 77-72 on November 30, 2002...

-TW-

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