Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Despite a non-existent perimeter game and trouble on the boards, the MacEwan Griffins were hanging tough against the Trinity Western Spartans, down just 12 points entering the fourth quarter on Friday.
But in the blink of an eye (one minute and 21 seconds, to be exact), they conceded a 7-0 run and were left in the Spartans' dust, falling 79-54 in Canada West action.
"They went on a 7-0 run and it just kind of broke the game open," said Griffins head coach Katherine Adams of the early fourth quarter. "Honestly, I was turned talking to a player, so I didn't see everything that happened in the moment. I know it was a defensive effort that wasn't good enough to get the job done and keep us in the game.
"Those moments are so big because in literally the blink of an eye, you go from being in a game to not. It's hard when those things are in your control and it's on your errors."
Hailey Van Roekel and Jayden Gill shared the Spartans' scoring lead with 17 points apiece, while Nicole Fransson bucketed 16 with dominant work in the paint as Trinity Western improved to 8-3 on the season.
MacEwan was led by Noelle Kilbreath, who netted 12 points off the bench, while Mackenzie Farmer chipped in 10 points and eight rebounds. With the loss, the Griffins are now 2-9 in the standings.
Undone by a few areas in the contest, a glaring one was the fact the Griffins managed just one three-pointer on the night (from Mikah Reed), despite 14 attempts spread between eight different players.
"I'm not sure that we were super recognizable in the things we've consistently done throughout the year," said Adams. "That was one area for sure that we didn't perform as well as we would have liked to.
"Credit to Trinity Western because they took that away and met us on catches to be able to contest those shots and not even give us the opportunity to shoot some of the ones we're normally used to seeing. It's something we'll hopefully look to find our shooters better tomorrow."
The Griffins also had trouble snaring rebounds in their own end.
"Rebound, rebound, rebound," said Adams about what they'll have to clean up in Saturday's rematch (6 p.m., David Atkinson Gym, Canada West TV). "We gave us 17 offensive rebounds, which always puts you in a tough position when you give them that many more opportunities to score."
The Spartans had success all night by making stabs into the paint and dishing off to open players down low, dissecting the Griffins' D throughout the game.
"I thought they put a lot of pressure on us by getting the ball in the paint," said Adams.
W��| A special moment for Julie Dueck ...
— MacEwan Griffins (@MacEwanGriffins) January 7, 2023
The @YaleBasketball #YXX product scores her first basket in more than a year after recovering from an injury that's kept her out since November 2021.@MacEwanU trails @TWUSpartans 18-12 after the first quarter.@CanadaWest#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/qajPnEhdZ1
On the plus side, MacEwan's bench was treated to a special moment in the first quarter when Julie Dueck cut through the lane, took a pass from Makenzie Reeve, and buried her first basket in almost 14 months. Dueck suffered a knee injury in November 2021 and has been rehabbing ever since.
"It was so great," said Adams after the bench erupted in celebration when she scored 6:18 into the contest. "That injury and that rehab is so tedious. She's been on a journey, and she deserves every minute of it. She's had her sights set on this return to make it back this season and really put in the work to make it happen. It's been incredible to see her get back and make a positive impact."
