Image credit: TWU Spartans photo

By Marty Hastings

CANADA WEST

After shocking buzzer-beater defeat, WolfPack aim to rebound on home court against Huskies

Nov 28, 2024 | 4:50 PM

KAMLOOPS — Simon Crossfield had a feeling it was going to go in.

The TRU WolfPack forward was on the bench late in the fourth quarter when Josh Belvin of Trinity Western launched a buzzer-beating halfcourt attempt last Saturday (Nov. 23) in Langley, a shot that dropped to give the Spartans a 70-67 victory in the Canada West men’s basketball contest.

“I just kind of threw my hands up,” Crossfield said. “What are you going to do? I thought we deserved to win that night.”

The defeat left the WolfPack with a record of 3-5, still in the thick of the Pacific Division post-season race, but perhaps a touch more desperate to head into the holiday break with a pair of victories over the Saskatchewan Huskies this weekend at the TCC.

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“Losing last Saturday to Trinity in the fashion that we did definitely hurt, but it was one game and I think we’re still in a good place heading into the last weekend at home against a team that is certainly a very competitive and scrappy team,” WolfPack head coach Chad Jacobson said.

The WolfPack, Spartans, UBC Okanagan Heat of Kelowna and Fraser Valley Cascades of Abbotsford are tied for third place in the seven-team Pacific Division. The top five teams in the division will qualify for the playoffs.

Jacobson, formerly lead assistant coach for the men’s Huskies, said Saskatchewan’s record (0-6) is deceiving, with those losses coming against capable competition — Calgary (7-1), Manitoba (4-1) and Alberta (3-3).

“I’m definitely familiar with a lot of the players on that team and had an opportunity to coach with their coach, so whether it’s an advantage or not, I’m not really sure, but definitely some familiar faces on the other end,” Jacobson said.

Game times are 7:30 p.m. on Friday and 6:00 p.m. on Saturday.

On the women’s side, the Pack will host the Huskies on Friday and Saturday, with tip off slated for 5:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., respectively.

The WolfPack are 0-8 and taking stock in progress, including from a pair of rookie Kamloopsians.

St. Ann’s Academy graduate Morgan Eichenberger is second in the conference in rebounds per game (9.6) and South Kam secondary graduate Kylee Koppes has pushed herself into the lineup with relentless effort on the defensive end.

“We had a lot of first-years this year and a lot of first years last year, and we’re just trying to build each other up and figure out how we play as a team and our strengths and weaknesses, what we need to work on,” Koppes said. “Unfortunately, we haven’t had the most wins this season, but we’ve been working together to see where our strengths lie and how we can go forward.”

The WolfPack will honour former athletic director Ken Olynyk on Friday for his induction to the Canada West Sports Hall of Fame.