It’s early yet, but so far in 2013, West Gym has proven to be home sweet home for the SFU men’s basketball team.
After hitting the road for two exhibition games against elite NCAA Div. I squads, the Clan traveled to California for the first two games of their own NCAA season, winning one and dropping the other. But since returning home for their first game on the hill this season on Nov. 12, SFU has caught fire, winning three straight at West Gym.
The most recent victory came against the Douglas College Royals, a dominant 104–76 win.
Senior guard Elijah Matthews led the Clan’s scoring efforts with 21 points in just 19 minutes of play — including hitting on all five of his three-point attempts — but five SFU players all hit double-digit point totals.
“Matthews played through some of our goofiness to lead the team,” said head coach James Blake after the game. “Other guys then jumped on that and earned the win.”
As a team, the Clan hit on 58 per cent of their field goals, and hit threes early and often, shooting an incredible 52 per cent from beyond the arc.
Fittingly, it was Matthews who opened the scoring with a three-pointer, but SFU couldn’t hang on to the lead early. The Royals, aided by an 8–0 run midway through the first half, climbed ahead and took a 22–15 lead early. But shortly after, the Clan went on an 8–0 run of their own, to pull ahead 28–23, a lead they would not relinquish.
SFU led by 10 at the half, 49–39, but pulled away in the second, stifling the Royals attack while having their way offensively. Forward Keegan Dunlop put the Clan above the century mark with almost four minutes left to play.
“Everyone gets to play a lot and we mould as a team in these types of games,” said senior guard Taylor Dunn, who lead the team with seven rebounds and chipped in with 16 points of his own. “We have a lot of new guys so its good for us to just get out on the court, that’s the best way for the team to get comfortable together.
“The teams we’re playing are very competitive, so it’s good for us to come up against that,” he added.
There’s an old saying in sports, that you can only beat the team put in front of you. Even if the competition the Clan have faced hasn’t been of the highest caliber, they’re still winning the games they’re supposed to, and the win over Douglas improves SFU’s record to 4–1 on the year.
“We need to get up for everybody, whether it’s conference winners or a community college. I like to evolve and learn from these games,” said Blake.
With two more games against non-conference opponents, and five more at home before hitting the road, Blake’s squad will have plenty of learning opportunities, and are in good shape to keep up this early season success.
