Scheduled Game: SIMON FRASER- CW Playoffs

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GAME RESULTS 1 2 T SFU Clan 36 26 62 TWU Spartans 33 30 63 « FINAL

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Game Recap

Men's Basketball (Pacific Division - Semi Final)
Friday, February 14, 2003
TWU Spartans (63) vs the Simon Fraser University Clan (62)

Spartans Sweep...Bring on the T-Birds

Langley, British Columbia - Epic, Historic, Trendsetting... Pick your adjective to describe the significance of Trinity Western University's men's basketball team's 63-62 come-from-behind victory over the Simon Fraser University Clan. The Spartan faithful, which number just under capacity at 1,500, will probably rise exponentially when this game is spoken of in years to come. The victory gives the Spartans a two games to none sweep of the visiting Clan and means that the Spartans will now travel to UBC on Thursday to take on the Thunderbirds for the right to host the Canada West final four.

"This is one of the defining moments of our program," said TWU head coach Stan Peters.

Jon Lundgren (Winnipeg, MB) hit the game-winning shot with fifteen seconds remaining to put the Spartans up one, 63-62. But it was the TWU defense and the Spartan faithful who won the game in the final seconds. SFU's ever-dangerous Pasha Bains pushed the ball up the floor as the clock was winding down and hit teammate Luke McKerrow in the corner. MeKerrow dribbled up to the top of the key where TWU's defense collapsed on him. As the clock was ticking down from six seconds, the deafening noise from the "Faithful" was so loud that McKerrow could not hear his bench counting down the game clock. The buzzer sounded without a shot being attempted and TWU fans swarmed the floor in celebration.

"We trapped him at the top when he came off the screen," said Peters. "That took SFU out of their game plan and McKerrow had nowhere to go."

There are many who contributed to the victory: the Fans, the Spartan defense, Adam Friesen's (Abbotsford, BC) 23 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, Logan Kitteringham's (Walnut Grove, BC) game high 15 rebounds, and Jon Lundgren's 21 points and game winning shot. But when it comes right down to it, it was the smallest person on the floor who changed the game. TWU's 5'9" back-up point guard Brad Unger (Winnipeg, MB) single handedly changed the outcome of the game on one play in the first half. The Clan had just stopped the Spartans and were headed down the floor with an eleven point lead, 29-18. Unger then got his hands on the ball and deflected it into the SFU backcourt. Both teams swarmed to the ball. SFU picked up the ball and looked to move down the court, but Unger would not give up, as from the ground he knocked the ball loose and regained possession. Then, before a Clan player could tie up the ball, while still lying on his back he threw an over-the-head, back-to-the-play, no-look pass to teammate Jon Lundgen. Lundgren took the pass and raced to the SFU basket for the uncontested score. The hustle of Unger woke up the Spartans and the Spartan Faithful. The play spurred the Spartans on to a 12-4 run to end the half down 36-33.

"Bradley came into the game playing hard and that play turned the tide for us," said Peters. "If we don't respond to SFU's first run we lose the game. Brad never gave up and right then he broke us out of our funk."

The second half was a defensive struggle and evenly matched for the most part. With less than five minutes remaining it looked like SFU had control the of game as they took a four point lead, 59-55 and were looking to score more. Then the Spartans came battling back. Jon Lundgren turned a steal off of the Clans Luke McKerrow into two points. After a missed three by SFU's Brent Charleton, TWU's Adam Friesen drained a jumper to tie the game at 59-59 with 3:40 remaining. Logan Kitteringham then converted a pass from Dave Martens (Abbotsford, BC) to give the Spartans the lead 61-59. But Simon Fraser was not dead yet, not with their great three-point shooters. Luke McKerrow looked like he had stolen the win for the Clan when he drilled a three point shot with thirty-five seconds remaining. But thirty-five seconds is a long time...

In summing up tonight's game there's only thing that can be said..."You Had to Be There".

The Spartans will now head to the University of British Columbia to face the Thunderbirds for the Pacific Division Championship. Game time at UBC's War Memorial Gym is set for 7:00 pm on Thursday, February 20, 2003.

Game Notes: SFU's Pasha Bains hit an amazing three point shot as time was expiring in the first half. Bains sprinted down the left side of the floor and two dribbles over half and nearly out of bounds he pulled up and drained a forty-foot jump shot to give SFU a three-point half time lead... The game was tight in every statistical category... From the field SFU went 24-60 (40%) to TWU's 23-58 (39.7%)... SFU out-rebounded TWU 38-34...SFU had the edge in three point shots, 10-26 to TWU's 4-12...but TWU had the edge in foul shots, 13-14 to SFU's 4-5...

-TW-

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