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The Trinity Western Spartans were able to hold off the Regina Cougars down the stretch to earn an 81-74 road win in Canada West men's basketball action on Saturday night at the Centre for Kinesiology, Health & Sport.

The two teams were never separated by more than eight points, and the game wasn't decided until late in the fourth quarter when Trinity Western's Tyrell Mara hit a pair of free throws to put the Spartans up by eight with just over a half minute remaining.

Mara ended up with the game's lone double-double, scoring 11 points and leading all players with 16 rebounds. Lance Verhoeff had 22 points and seven rebounds for the Spartans, while Louis Hurd and Calvin Westbrook chipped in with 16 each. The Spartans were 12-for-27 from beyond the arc, hitting several clutch three balls during key moments in the contest to keep the hometown Cougars at bay. Hurd led the way with five threes for Trinity.

Making his first start of the year, Jeff Lukomski was 7-for-14 from three-point land and piled up a season-high 25 points for the Cougars. Kris Heshka had 20 points and eight rebounds for Regina, while Jamal Williams had 14 points, eight rebounds, and six assists.

The win improves Trinity Western to 2-1 on the season, while Regina's Canada West record falls to 1-3.

The Cougars will now prepare for a pair of road games at Alberta (4-2) next weekend. The Spartans will host Victoria (2-1).