The SFU Clan men’s basketball team got its first win of the season Tuesday night against the Douglas College Royals with a score of 78–58. Though a 20-point gap between the two squads might make some think that SFU dominated this game, nothing could be further from the truth, as the Royals made the Clan work for every point, and a wide margin of victory was not secured until late in the game.
“It was a battle in the first half, and then we came back [and] showed some resilience,” said Clan guard Hidde Vos after the game. “It’s good to get the first [win] of the season.”
It was a tale of two halves, as the Clan started the match playing down to their opponent’s level. Douglas College took an early lead, and were able to frustrate Simon Fraser all throughout the first half. SFU’s Michael Harper had some excellent runs at the Douglas defense, cutting through them like a hot knife through butter. However, SFU’s defense was unable to shut down the Royals offense, as it seemed like they were able to sink three-pointers at will. Along with that, the Royals were winning most of the rebounds in SFU’s zone, and getting easy points off layups as a result.
The Clan started playing a bit better in the middle of the frame, and went on a 10–0 run to take a 25–19 lead with nine minutes left, due to some timely points and steals from guard/forward Denver Sparks-Guest. However, SFU was unable to pull away, and the plucky Douglas side fought back with some timely three-pointers, retaking the lead with two seconds left on the clock.
The halftime score was 37–35 for the visitors, and SFU’s Head Coach Virgil Hill was visibly displeased going into the halftime break.
Hill must have given quite an impressive speech during the intermission, as the Clan came out in the second guns blazing. Douglas College fought tooth and nail to keep their lead, but they were no match for the firepower that SFU brought. Specifically, it was the incredible play of guard Hidde Vos that propelled them. Beginning early in the second half, Hidde had timely steals, smooth three pointers that hit nothing but net, and some sick no-look passes that would have compelled even Steve Nash to tip his hat.
But it was not only Vos that shone for the Clan in the final frame. Oshea Gairey helped draw multiple fouls, and on the defensive end Gibran Sewani and Max Barkeley shut down multiple Douglas attacks with rejections that made the crowd go wild. It seemed like a totally different SFU side was on the court, and the scoreboard was showing it. After being down 44–40 early in the second half, the Clan went on a 25–0 run to take a 65–44 lead.
The final stages depended on SFU not letting Douglas claw its way back as they did in the first half, and this time, the Clan was successful. SFU ran the Royals ragged in the second half, and it was clear the visitors from New Westminster had no gas left in the tank at the end of the game. SFU held on for a 78–58 blowout, and they’ll certainly be hoping for more wins like these in the future.
