LANGLEY, B.C. – Victoria had four players hit double-digits in scoring as the Vikes held on to beat Trinity Western 73-65 Friday at the Langley Events Centre.
Hayden Lejuene had a double-double, with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while
Jaden Touchie added 12 points,
Justin McChesney had 10 points and eight boards, and
Diego Maffia had 11 points.
The Spartans Jack Nadelhoffer had a double-double, with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Isaiah Reimer had 15 points and Daniel Stead added 12 points.
The win sees the playoff-bound Vikes improve to 14-5, while the loss drops TWU to 0-19.
TWU opened the game with a 10-4 run, but the Vikes responded with the next eight points to finish the quarter ahead 12-10.
The second quarter was all Vikes, as they outscored TWU 28-16, including a barrage of scoring from beyond the arc that saw Victoria go five for seven from 3-point range. Coupled with TWU's one for seven from distance, Victoria held a 14-point lead, 40-26, at halftime. TWU finished the half shooting two for 15 from outside, while the Vikes shot seven for 15 from 3-point land.
The Spartans came out firing in the third quarter, putting up 25 points in the frame to nearly duplicate their entire total from the first half, while holding Victoria to just 12 points. Trailing 46-29, the Spartans went on a 14-0 run, led by six points from Reimer, to close the Vikes lead to three points. A lay-up from Nadelhoffer put the Spartans up 51-50, but Victoria's Lejeune hit a jumper late to send the teams into the fourth quarter with the visitors ahead 52-51.
The Vikes opened the fourth quarter with a 7-2 run that gave a lead to the visitors they wouldn't relinquish. The Spartans hung around down the stretch, but never got closer than five points (70-65).
NOTABLE
• Victoria had a 49-45 edge on the glass.
• The Spartans shot 35 per cent from the field (21-60), while Victoria shot 34.7 per cent (26-75).
• As part of senior's weekend, fifth-year Spartans Ethan DaSilva and Nadellhoffer will play their final game with TWU Saturday.
• TWU has lost its previous 11 games against the Vikes, with their last win coming Nov. 29, 2013 at home (60-57).
NEXT UP
The Spartans will host the Vikes Saturday at 7 p.m. in TWU's final game of the 2019-20 season.
