Sometimes, an upset just isn’t in the cards.
Just as it was looking like February might be kind to the Clan, on Feb. 13, SFU lost 89–79 to Seattle Pacific University Falcons.
SFU had beaten third-place Alaska Fairbanks on Feb. 1 and lost an 84–83 heartbreaker to Western Washington, who sit in second, one week later.
With just one Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) victory entering February, and then having held their ground against two of the conference’s top three teams, the Clan had every reason to feel good about themselves.
But against the Falcons, the conference’s top team, the Clan were brought back down to Earth.
A 10-point loss to a team that was 11–2 entering the contest is respectable for a beleaguered Clan team, and there were plenty of positives in the game. Four players scored double-digit points, with Sango Niang’s 26 leading the way. The team shot 54.5 per cent from the field, 46.2 per cent from three-point range, and ended the game on a 24–9 run.
But the Clan’s largest lead was three points — the game’s opening score — and lasted 19 seconds. Against a lesser opponent, those shooting numbers may have resulted in a lasting lead. But against a team shooting almost 60 per cent from the field and 55 per cent from three, it wasn’t enough.
“We came up against a very disciplined team tonight,” said head coach James Blake after the game. “[Players] had good individual efforts but we need more ball movement to get more players involved in the offence.”
The Falcons methodically built up an 80–55 lead with over seven minutes to play. Had the Clan’s late-game siege been successful, it would’ve been the story of the season. Instead, it feels more like a drop in the ocean. However respectable the final score was, it’s another loss in what’s been a frustrating season for the SFU players.
The loss drops the team’s conference record to 2–11 with just five games to go.
