The UNBC Timberwolves’ Russian duo of Sveta Bokova (24 points) and Victoriia Filatrova (23 points) lit up the scoreboard, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Trinity Western University Spartans.
They handed the TWolves a 70-63 loss Friday night in Langley.
The win improved the Spartans’ record to 9-8 (fourth in Pacific Division). UNBC (4-13) ranks sixth in the division.
Collette Van der Hoven paced the Spartans attack with 18 points while Blessing Ibekwe grabbed a team-leading seven rebounds. Four Spartans (Van der Hoven, Ibekwe, Cassidy Buchanan and Shemaiah Abatayo) all finished in double digits in scoring.
Boykova was dominant on the defensive end as well, grabbing a game-high 14 rebounds while racking up three steals and a pair of blocks.
The score was deadlocked at 19-19 after one. Boykova got off to a roaring start for UNBC, pacing the visitors with seven points (3-for-5 shooting). She added two blocks, and with UNBC down 17-9, it was a series of back-to-back buckets from Boykova that helped put UNBC closer to even. The glaring stat of the first quarter for Trinity Western were the five rebounds for Ibekwe. Van der Hoven led the Spartans with five first-quarter points.
The first four minutes of the second quarter were a struggle for both teams, as they combined for just five points in the first three minutes and 51 seconds, and all of them came by way of the free-throw. Eventually shots started to fall for both sides. Boykova’s lone bucket of the second was part of an ‘and 1’ sequence and resulted in a 28-26 lead for UNBC. The Spartans though kept things close and snatched their lead back on a buzzer-beating long two from Savannah Vander Kooi.
At half the score showed 32-30 for the hosts, but the game’s leading scorer at that point was Boykova who had 12 points along with three steals, two boards, and two blocks. Trinity Western’s leader at both ends of the floor was Ibekwe who had eight points (4-for-4 shooting) while snagging a game-high five rebounds.
Boykova put forth a monster third quarter for the TWolves offensively as she added 10 more to her totals, giving her a game-high 22 through three. But her big effort was countered by a determined push from Trinity Western, who outscored the TWolves 19-13. The tandem of Van der Hoven (8) and Cassidy Buchanan (5) combined for 13 as the Spartans led 51-43 after three.
The TWolves kept it interesting in the final quarter, due in large part to the spectacular offensive efforts from Filatova. The second-year guard hit five fourth-quarter field-goals, including a pair of threes en route to a 14-point performance. It was almost enough to bridge the gap. Unfortunately for the TWolves the trio of Jazmin Avila, Shemaiah Abatayo and Van der Hoven each grabbed five points of their own, and the Spartans ended up holding on for the victory.
In the men’s game that followed in Langley, the UNBC Timberwolves (1-16) dropped a 76-66 decision to the hosts from Trinity Western (9-8).
David Mutabazi finished with a 23-point, 10 rebound double-double effort for the hosts while Connor Platz and Josh Belvin each added 16 points to the victory. Evgeny Baukin responded with a team-high 20 for UNBC while adding eight rebounds, four steals and a pair of blocks. The next best performer offensively for the TWolves was Josh Gillespie who matched his previous career-high with 17 points.
A back-and-forth first quarter resulted in a 15-15 score through 10 minutes. First-year guard Milan Pasquale got off to a solid start for Todd Jordan’s club as he notched six points. Fellow first-year Miller Davies did his part to keep the energy on the bench high as he connected on a dunk off a pick-and-roll sequence with Isaiah Bias. The Spartans got four points apiece in response from veterans David Mutabazi and Connor Platz.
Trinity Western roared out of the gates on a 14-3 run to staert the second quarter on the strength of four separate threes. But the TWolves chipped away. Gillespie hit a pair of threes and racked up eight points total as the TWolves went into the half trailing only by three.
A back-and-forth third quarter saw the Spartans increase their lead by three more to 56-50. The pair of Mutabazi (12) and Josh Belvin (8) supplied 20 of Trinity’s 23 points while Baukin was the offensive catalyst in response for UNBC as he posted eight. Ben White and Bias also added threes in the quarter for UNBC who were tied at 48 with three minutes and change, but the Spartans ended the period on an 8-2 run.
The game never at any point fell out of reach, but unfortunately the TWolves were unable to sway the tide in the final quarter. The Spartans outscored UNBC by a 20-16 margin thanks to a well spread out attack that featured points from six different Trinity players. Baukin (7) and Gillespie (5) combined for 12 fourth quarter points for UNBC in response. The final bucket of the night for UNBC was a highlight-reel alley-oop dunk from Baukin that was set up nicely by Chris Ainsley.
The rematches between the T-wolves and Spartans will be played Saturday at 4 p.m. (women) and 6 p.m. (men) - the final road games of the season for both UNBC teams.
