The UNBC Timberwolves went toe-to-toe with one of the hottest men’s basketball teams in Canada West but lacked the finishing touches down the stretch.
They blew a nine-point lead with 1:47 left in regulation time and and lost to the Trinity Western Spartans 105-101 in overtime Friday night in Langley.
The Spartans scored seven unanswered points in the final two minutes of overtime to cap a gritty comeback and win for the sixth time in their last seven games.
In OT, after Vova Pluzhnikov hit from three-point range to give the T-wolves a 101-98 lead, Spartans rookie Connor Platz was good on a dunk and Ja’Qualyn Gilbreath ran to the hoop to sink a layup and put TWU ahead by one with 28 seconds on the clock. UNBC sharpshooter Tyrell Laing had an open look down court on the wing but missed his shot. In the dying seconds, Gilbreath hit his first foul shot but his second bounced off the rim, giving Chris Ross a chance for the tie, but the UNBC forward came up short on his layup attempt and Platz snagged the rebound to seal it.
The Spartans went on a 9-0 run over a 2:07 stretch at the end of the fourth quarter to force the five-minute overtime period. Trailing 89-80, Tre Fillmore and Isaiah Reimer hit back-to-back threes to cut the gap to three points. Laing drew a foul and after nailing seven of his previous eight free throws, the fifth-year- guard missed on final two foul shots. That gave TWU the ball with 36.7 seconds left and Bourcier tied with a long jumper from just beyond centre court. Pluzhnikov, who had to leave the game briefly in the first quarter when he suffered a gash on his head after getting elbowed by Gilbreath, had 22 seconds to work with but lost possession on his drive to hoop. Gilbreath had a chance to end it just before the buzzer and found the target but the ball was still in his hands when time expired.
The Spartans shot 17-for-32 from outside of the arc. Bourcier ended up with a triple-double with 27 points, 12 assists and 12 rebounds. Gilbreath shot 24 points and had eight assists. Laing led the T-wolves with 25 points and had six assists. Fareed Shittu collected 19 points with eight rebounds and UNBC rookie Rory Goodwin had a 19-point game.
The Spartans, who started the season 0-7, improved to 6-8 to solidify their grip on fourth place in the West Division. The T-wolves lost their third straight to drop to 4-9, sixth in the seven-team division.
UNBC and TWU will meet Saturday in the rematch (7 p.m., Canada West TV). The T-wolves have four regular season games left.
