Clutch fourth-quarter points elude Griffins in narrow 57-49 loss to WolfPack
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
19 | 4 | 18 | 16 | 57 |
|
|
9 | 18 | 15 | 7 | 49 |
Team Stats
Thompson Rivers
| Game Statistics | Thompson Rivers | MacEwan University |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (21-62) | (20-56) |
| Field Goal % | 33.9% | 35.7% |
| Rebounds | 42 | 27 |
| Assists | 13 | 8 |
| Turnovers | 16 | 19 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 16 | 17 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 3 | 8 |
| Pts in the Paint | 24 | 18 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 11 | 0 |
| Bench Pts | 0 | 18 |
Jason Hills
For MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON — The MacEwan Griffins have been looking for more balanced scoring, and against the Thompson Rivers Wolfpack they got contributions up-and-down their lineup, but they just couldn't find that timely basket when they needed it most.
A slim lead going into the fourth quarter eventually fell to a small deficit and the Griffins lost 57-49 on Saturday at the David Atkinson Gym.
MacEwan fell to 0-6 this season, while TRU improves to 2-3.
"Late in the game when we were down, our defence was locked in, we were getting stops, we just couldn't score to close that gap," said Griffins forward Sofia Makinen, who led MacEwan with 11 points off the bench in the loss.
"TRU was more assertive with their shots than we were (in the fourth quarter). We were getting our looks, we just weren't patient enough. We had some good looks, but we just didn't finish."
Unity Obasuyi has been a focal point of the Griffins offence the past two seasons, and opposing teams key on her.
At times this year, the Griffins haven't had enough offensive support around Obasuyi, but against TRU, MacEwan had plenty of contributions.
On a night when Obasuyi was held in check with just five points and four rebounds, others stepped up.
Samantha Hickey recorded nine points and six rebounds, while Toni Gordon chipped in with eight points and six boards.
WORKING THE PAINT
— MacEwan Griffins Women's Basketball Team (@Griffins_WBB) November 8, 2025
Samantha Hickey with a strong take for two of her team-leading nine points in the opening half for the @MacEwanGriffins, who hold a slim 27-23 lead on @GoTRUWolfPack after 20 minutes.#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/eJEc4dpIGy
The Griffins' bench outscored TRU 18-0, but just couldn't close it out in the fourth quarter.
"Going into the game, we said everyone has to do their role. In the end, it doesn't matter how many points Unity scores if other people aren't contributing," said Griffins guard Allie Spenrath.
"Everyone came in ready to do their job … the challenging part is when a team is face-guarding your best player, there's a way to use that to our benefit. Whether we use her in space, or set screens, we had a hard time doing that in the second half."
MacEwan overcame a tough opening quarter falling behind 19-9, but they woke up and had one of their best quarters of the season, outscoring TRU 18-4.
Griffins head coach Katherine Adams went to her bench and Makinen hit two big-three pointers, Morgan Clark scored on a nice driving layup and Sarah Burnell scored just before the first half ended to give MacEwan a 27-23 lead at the break.
Using the window, Sarah Burnell drops a huge three in the third quarter. Through 30 minutes, @MacEwanGriffins lead @GoTRUWolfPack 42-41.#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/KlW7L7I5Am
— MacEwan Griffins Women's Basketball Team (@Griffins_WBB) November 8, 2025
"We had a group of non-starters that came on that really ignited the fire for us in that second quarter," said Makinen.
"We held them to four points in that second quarter, and that's great. We were really able to build off that going into the third."
MacEwan had momentum going into the fourth quarter, but some of their inexperience in closing out games showed a little bit, especially as the fourth quarter wore on.
The one area where TRU had full control of the game was on the glass. They out rebounded MacEwan 42-27, and Morgan Eichenberger was a force leading TRU with 21 points and 13 rebounds in the win.
Eichenberger played the entire 40 minutes in the win.
"We knew she was one of their best players, we just gave her and their team too many opportunities for offensive boards, and she made us pay," said Makinen.
Toni Gordon eludes a defender on Saturday (Husain Dhooma photo).
After TRU took a 45-42 lead in the fourth quarter, Gordon drove the rim and finished a nice layup to make it a one-point game, but some costly turnovers led to TRU increasing their lead.
Obasuyi hit a three-pointer from the elbow to make it 50-47, but TRU was able to go on a 7-0 run to put the game out of reach.
"We worked super hard, and I think we executed the game plan well. Genuinely, it was just our own errors, especially in the fourth quarter," said Spenrath.
"We just needed those crucial stops down the stretch. It's something we haven't had a lot of experience in (those situations), and we need to dial up the intensity every possession, and that's something we're still working on."
MacEwan will travel to Calgary next weekend to face the Mount Royal Cougars.
