Spartans hang with Purdue in Summer Series opener

LANGLEY, B.C. – Hosting the reigning Big 10 champion Purdue, Trinity Western was within seven points late the fourth quarter, hanging with the Boilermakers until the visitors pulled away down the stretch for a 82-66 win Sunday at the Langley Events Centre. 

An up-and-under lay-up from TWU's Caleb Gremaud closed the gap to 66-59 with 5:15 to play, but the Matt Painter-led Boilermakers outscored the Spartans 16-7 over the final five minutes. 

Jack Vandenberg, with 20 points, and Pearse Long, with 19 points and seven boards, led the way for TWU. Tyus DeVries added 14 points and six rebounds for the home side. Caleb Gremaud had seven rebounds and four points while being a +10 in 20 minutes. 

Purdue had five players in double digits, with Caden Pierce and Daniel Jacobsen each registering 15 points, while Jacob Weber had 13 points and Luke Ertel and Gicarri Harris added 10 apiece. The Boilermakers had 10 players play at least 16 minutes while no one played more than 21 minutes. 

TWU shot 40.4 per cent (23-57) from the field and 34.4 per cent (11-32) from 3-point range. Purdue countered by shooting 42.5 per cent (31-73) and 43.8 per cent from beyond the arc (14-32). 

The Spartans stayed in the fight on the glass, with 38 rebounds to Purdue's 41.

On the strength of double-digit scoring from Vandenberg (11 points) and Long (10 points), the Spartans were step-for-step with Purdue through 20 minutes, trailing 42-31 at the break. TWU held the Boilermakers to 21 points in each of the first two quarters and were outscored by only three points in the second frame. 

The visitors extended their lead in the third quarter to 23 points, but back-to-back 3-pointers from Vandenberg and Long made it 59-42 with just over three minutes to play in the quarter.

TWU clawed back early in the fourth quarter, but Purdue pushed back to take the win by 16 points.

QUOTABLE
Trevor Pridie, TWU Head Coach 
"I thought we played so hard. We are much more aggressive this year and I thought this game set the tone for how were going to play this year. We have a great group of seniors and Marcus (Shankar) and Tyus set the standard and everyone else follows. We have a really gritty and tough team and our compete level was really high today. 

"I'm such a basketball junkie, so I've watched Coach Painter's teams for years and he's one of the best coaches in the world, so it was an honour to get to coach against him and Purdue. We have so much respect for what they do at Purdue and what they are able to do every year. For us to get the experience to play them – it's something I will remember and our guys will remember forever. 

"Pearce was phenomenal. He had a great off-season and he's so dialed in. Jack is such a good player and he was awesome. Caleb – after spraining his ankle on Monday – showed why he's the best defensive player in Canada West. He's such a beast and he was so good tonight. Tyus was so good and he's so smart and so skilled and he'll be a big piece for us. Marcus also set the tone for us defensively and is key to what we do.

"We didn't shoot the ball particularly well tonight but I was happy with the looks we generated. To be in a game with them is a huge confidence booster and hopefully we can build on this."

Matt Painter, Purdue Head Coach
"I thought (TWU) was great. They shared the basketball and they spread us out. They really utilized their ability to drive the ball and their fives being able to make deep threes. We let them catch and shoot the basketball way too much. But give them credit. I thought they did a great job of exposing us a little bit there and knocking some threes down and playing off that and getting us behind plays. They're very well coached. You can see that. You see that they understood who their main guys were and who needed to get the basketball. They have some good shooters and they gave us some trouble."

NOTABLE
•    Purdue is coming off a 2025-26 season in which the Boilermakers captured the Big 10 title, beating Michigan 80-72 in the final. 
•    The Spartans were 9-11 in Canada West in 2025-26 before beating Mount Royal in the CW Play-In Game. TWU lost to eventual Canada West champion Victoria in the conference quarter-finals. 
•    The last time TWU hosted NCAA Division I opponents was in 2023-24 when the Spartans took on Boise State, losing 134-70, and UC Santa Barbara, falling 90-84. 
•    TWU opens its Canada West regular season schedule Oct. 29 at UBC before hosting Victoria in the Spartans home-opener Oct. 31 at 8 p.m. at the LEC.

UP NEXT
TWU will host Marquette University July 30 at 7pm the David E. Enarson Gym. The Spartans Summer Series will also feature games against Grand Canyon (Aug. 6), Oregon (Aug. 9) and Oregon State (Aug. 18).