A losing streak to end the regular season resulted proved costly as the Trinity Western Spartans just missed out on a playoff spot.
Up by two points midway through the fourth quarter, the Trinity Western Spartans surrendered the game's final 11 points and fell 74-65 to the visiting Fraser Valley Cascades on Feb. 9 at the Langley Events Centre.
The Spartans finished the Canada West season on a three-game losing streak and an 8-10 record, one game shy of a post-season berth..
"I think in terms of effort, we fought really hard," said coach Cheryl Jean-Paul.
"I just wanted to make sure our team showed the character they had been showing all season long and they did that today.
"At the end, (Fraser Valley) hit some big threes and had some momentum scoes that we just didn't have enough time to respond to."
Holly Strom led the way with 20 points and five rebounds, including a fourth-quarter run in which she scored a dozen straight for the Spartans.
Sarah Cleveland had 15 points and three rebounds and Laurelle Weigl scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Trinity Western led by as many as a dozen points in the second quarter but could not put the Cascades (12-6) away.
"There were a few turning points," Jean-Paul said.
"In the first half, when we had a double-digit lead, we kind of went into panic mode and allowed them to get back in the game.
"Then in the second half ... I think there were a few sequences that could have gone either way and didn't go our way and suddenly we're down."
For the Spartans to qualify for the post-season, they need Thompson Rivers (7-9) to lose both its games this weekend against last-place UBC Okanagan (2-14).