Scheduled Game: SIMON FRASER*

68

GAME RESULTS 1 2 T Simon Fraser 31 37 68 « FINAL Trinity Western 27 39 66

66

Game Recap

Men’s Basketball (Canada West)
Saturday, February 10, 2007
TWU Spartans (66) vs. the Simon Fraser University Clan (68)

SPARTANS LOSE THRILLER IN FRONT OF PACKED HOUSE
-TWU will now face UBC in first round of playoffs

LANGLEY, British Columbia – Third place in the Pacific division was up for grabs on Saturday night as the Trinity Western University Spartans (9-14) hosted the Simon Fraser University Clan (11-12) in a match that would decide playoff match-ups. There was a lot of hype coming into the game tonight as the two teams combined for two very spirited matches last weekend in which they each came away with a win. The game did not disappoint as the capacity crowd, including a 40 member pep band from MEI, was thoroughly entertained but they couldn’t quite cheer the home team to victory as they Spartans fell to the Clan, 66-68.

The already injury riddled Spartans lost another man tonight - Drew Slaght (Coquitlam, B.C.) went down with an ankle injury just minutes into the game leaving the Spartans another player short. Consequently Head Coach Stan Peters “had to change the rotation and figure out a brand new one. It was tough because we practiced all week with guys in certain roles then we had to say to them on they fly we have to put you in a new role. So that’s why it took us awhile to adapt and get guys feeling comfortable in their roles.”

Luke Robinson (Ahousat, B.C.) helped get the Spartans off to a strong start as he recorded a steal, two assists, and three points in the first two minutes of the game as the Spartans found themselves in a similar situation to last Saturday. Once again though, SFU came right back with a 12-0 run to take a 22-13 lead with just over seven minutes remaining in the half.

SFU looked to be set to take a comfortable ten point lead into halftime but then TWU Head Coach Stan Peters sent the injured Brian Banman (Kelowna, B.C.) into the game, who he was playing intermittently throughout the contest, with two to go in the first. Banman went on to tally five points, including a one-handed buzzer beater from behind the arc with an SFU defender in his face to bring the Spartans to within four at the break, 27-31.
   
TWU kept it close at the beginning of the second half but turnovers and missed buckets prevented them from regaining the lead. They couldn’t seem to overcome that five or six point deficit and actually did not hold the lead once in the entire second half. They did however battle hard to remain within striking distance so they could make their move at the end, which turned into a very exciting finish to an entertaining game.

With Banman on the bench and his team down by five (59-64) with three minutes to go, Peters subbed Banman back in hoping that he could generate some clutch offense. He went on to go three for three from the free throw line after he was fouled on a shot attempt from three point territory to bring his team to within two while a clutch drive to the hoop through traffic by Luke Robinson made it a one point game with 38 seconds to go. A TWU foul sent SFU, standout forward Aaron Christensen (Langley, B.C.) to the line for two with only six seconds remaining. He missed the second giving TWU a last shot attempt to win it – they were unsuccessful as SFU hung on to win 68-66.

In a classy move, the Spartan men showed their appreciation to the Spartan Faithful, as they were in full force tonight, when they applauded them from center court after the game.

Luke Robinson had a solid all around game with a team high 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals in 30 minutes of play. Brian Banman was second in team scoring with 14 points in only 19 minutes played and teammate Davin Bron (Surrey, B.C.), playing in the last regular season game of his career, finished with four rebounds. For the visitors, Aaron Christensen finished with a double-double with his game high 20 points and 12 rebounds. Second year guard, Grant Fedorak (Victoria) added 15 points while forward Greg Wallis (Victoria) chipped in 12 points. Sean Burke (North Vancouver, B.C.) was the assists leader as he set up his teammates eight times.

Looking ahead to the playoff match-up against UBC Coach Peters points out that “one good thing for us is that we’ll have fan support. Our guys get a lot of energy from our fans so playing locally is really important so our fans can get there and support us. Being close to home is a good thing.”

Next up: Playoffs! TWU will visit the UBC Thunderbirds in a best of three series beginning on Friday, February 16, Saturday, February 17, and Sunday, February 18 if necessary. Game times will be determined on Sunday and announced on Monday.

Game Notes: SFU out rebounded TWU 43-31...The Clan went 20-29 from the free throw line for 69% compared to the Spartans 14 for 25 for 56%...TWU committed 17 turnovers to SFU’s 25...The Spartans shot 39% from the field while the Clan shot 44%...This is the first time this season that TWU has scored less than 70 points in a conference game.

-TW-
-Jamie Born, Sports Information Assistant

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