STRONG SECOND HALF PROPEL HUSKIES OVER WOLFPACK IN TOON TOWN
(Greg Stewart (left) was the leading rebounder, Matt Pierce (right) was the top scorer for TRU)
For Immediate Release: January 31, 2009
Saskatoon, Sask--The second half of play for the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack was as cold as the weather of a January night in Saskatoon. The WolfPack shot only 25 per cent in that half and fell to the host University of Saskatchewan Huskies 103-61 in Canada West Men's Basketball Action.
The Huskies led 46-32 at half time as Saskatchewan won both their games this weekend to move to 9 and 11 on the season. They locked down third place and the final playoff position in the Canada West Central Division on Friday. The Huskies’ 92-54 win over the University of Fraser Valley Cascades combined with a University of Lethbridge loss sealed the spot. The Huskies will meet the University of Alberta Golden Bears in the best-of-three division semifinal in Edmonton February 13-15.
TRU dropped its 15 th straight contest and fell to 2 and 19 on the campaign. It was the third time this season that the WolfPack have lost in triple digits.
"There were moments in the game where we competed,"said WolfPack coach Thom Gillespie. "But our consistency was lacking. We allowed them to get into our heads and the exploited our weaknesses."
Showron Glover (1st year, guard, Fresno, Calif) showed why he is a candidate for Canada West Rookie and Player of the Year. He paced the Huskies with 26 points. " He certainly is an offensive threat who energizes the players around him," said Gillespie of Glover. "He makes the Huskies a team which could pull off some upsets in the post season. I'm sure Alberta will have to centre their defence around him."
Troy Gottselig had 19 points and eight rebounds for Saskatchewan. Clint Unsworth (forward, 4 th year, Maple Creek, Sask) also had eight boards.
The Huskies had an eight point lead heading into the second quarter and continued to hold the gap into half time at 46-32. The Huskies came on even stronger in the second half scoring 22 points in the third and 35 in the fourth.
Once again the Huskies led their opponents in the rebound department pulling down 61 (30 offensive, 31 defensive) to the Wolfpack’s 38 (13 offensive, 25 defensive).
Matt Pierce (2nd year, guard, Winnipeg, Man) was the top scorer for TRU with 13 points.
"Matt is capable of putting up some points as he is a confident shooter," said Gillespie of Pierce. "He had a good outing."
Greg Stewart (3rd year, forward, Kamloops, BC) had 10 points and 11 rebounds. Jeff Friesen (4 th year, forward, Duncan, BC) and Hudson Naylor (1st year, guard, Kamloops, BC) each contributed 9 points.
One bright spot for TRU was their scoring off the bench. They had 31 points in the game compared to Saskatchewan's 28. Saskatchewan scored 33 points in the game off turnovers in comparison to TRU's 12 points.
The WolfPack close out the Canada West regular season with games next weekend (Feb 6-7) at UBC and UVic. Saskatchewan winds up with two games in Lethbridge against the Pronghorns.
(with assistance from the University of Saskatchewan Sports Information Department)