Erin Chamble
63
Alberta ALB 0
78
Winner Thompson Rivers TRU 0
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Alberta ALB 8 18 23 14 63
Thompson Rivers TRU 16 12 26 24 78

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | TRU WolfPack

Fourth quarter excellence powers ‘Pack to playoff victory

QUICK FIRE
  • The Thompson Rivers WolfPack men's basketball team outscored the Alberta Golden Bears 24-14 in the final quarter, breaking a five-point lead wide open in a 78-63 play-in game victory. The WolfPack advance to the Canada West quarterfinals against the host Manitoba Bisons tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. PT.
DIFFERENCE MAKERS
  • As has been the story all year-long, a balanced offensive attack was key for the 'Pack. Dami Farinloye and Denys Bachurin both recorded 15 points with Steve Stinson and Asher Mayan adding 13 and 10 respectively. Simon Crossfield was electric distributing the ball, racking up six assists.
  • Isaac Simon was the story for Alberta as the third-year guard tallied a game-high 25 points. No other member of the Golden Bears broke double-digits in scoring.
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • The WolfPack took an 8-0 lead on two quick threes in the first two minutes from Bachurin and Cyrus Harrison. Harrison scored nine points in the quarter and the TRU defence held Alberta to shooting just 18 per cent as the 'Pack led 16-8 after the first frame.
  • 11 points from Simon in the second allowed the Golden Bears to cut the TRU lead to just 28-26 at the half.
  • Alberta continued that momentum into the early portion of the third quarter with Ethan Elgert capping off a 15-9 Golden Bears run to give them their first lead of the game at 41-37. The rest of the night belonged to the 'Pack however. Steve Stinson had five points down the stretch and a layup from Mayan right at the buzzer saw TRU take a 54-49 lead into the final quarter.
  • The WolfPack erased any drama from the game early in the fourth. Bachurin and Erin Chamble combined for 13 points in the first seven minutes of the final frame as TRU jumped all the way out to a 19-point lead at 75-56. From there TRU was able to run out the remainder of the frame to clinch the crucial postseason victory.
NOTABLE
  • The victory was TRU's first in the postseason since 2016-17 and their first-ever in program history over the Golden Bears.
  • The win was also head coach Chad Jacobson's first playoff victory in the orange and black.
  • TRU led for over 35 minutes of the 40 minute contest and never trailed by more than four on the night.

QUOTABLE (WolfPack guard Dami Farinloye)
  • ON WINNING IN A RETURN TO HIS HOMETOWN OF WINNIPEG "It was super cool, especially having my family in here and in a familiar gym."
  • "It's nice getting the win too. This team is really a brotherhood, fighting through adversity. We came together as a team and had each other's backs."

UP NEXT
  • The WolfPack will be back in action tomorrow, with their playoff lives on the line, when they face the prairie division winning Manitoba Bisons at 5:00 p.m. PT in Winnipeg. A victory would see the 'Pack advance to the Canada West semifinal stage for the first time since 2015-16. The game can be watched live on canadawest.tv
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