Coming into Thursday night’s game against Saint Martin’s University, most would have expected a comfortable win for SFU. The Clan looked for their 10th win of the season, while Saint Martin’s was ninth in the GNAC with just three wins. But after blowing a 15 point lead in the second quarter, SFU was able to win the game 84–74, led by a record-tying performance from Ellen Kett.
“I thought at times we were very good, and at times we were horrific,” said Head Coach Bruce Langford. “In the first quarter we moved the ball very well, we got our baskets [. . .] but in the second [quarter] we were terrible defensively, we were careless, we were lazy at times. We certainly let them back in it. In the second half we kind of continued a bit of back-and-forth between the two.”
Before the game, Elisa Homer was honoured by SFU Athletics Director Theresa Hanson for breaking the GNAC record for most three points shots made in a single game. She then proceeded to score the first points of the game with a corner three. SFU moved the ball around beautifully in the quarter, and at the end it was 26–13. It looked like it was going to be a blowout.
The second quarter was a different story. SFU at one point was getting outscored 18–2, and Saint Martin’s was hitting big shots. At the end of the first half, SFU was down a point and shell-shocked.
“He said we weren’t competing hard enough,” said Ellen Kett on coach Langford’s halftime address. “We looked a bit tired, our hands weren’t up on defence, we weren’t moving our feet. So he said, ‘make sure you’re competing.’”
The Clan came out competing in the second half, with Elisa Homer sinking a free throw to immediately tie the game up. That seemed to give SFU confidence, as they outscored the visitors by nine in the quarter, thanks in large part to Kett’s incredible vision. The fourth quarter featured Rachel Fradgley’s 25th point on the night, a career high for her at SFU. Dagger threes by Kett, Homer, and Vanessa Gee sent SFU off with a 84–74 win.
Kett finished with 16 assists on the night. This tied the GNAC record, and was one assist shy of the SFU school record. She probably could have broken it as well, but fouled out with five personal fouls near the end of the game.
Said Kett, “I really didn’t know until [coach] Langford said that after I fouled out [. . .] I don’t mind passing the ball, it’s what I look for most of the time, I’m more of a pass-first player. When everybody makes their baskets, it’s easy for me to make assists. So credit to everybody else for making all their shots.”
“I thought it was a good night on her part, except for her fouls,” said Langford on the record setting game by Kett. “[If] she could have stayed in the game longer, she could have broken the record. But she doesn’t care about that. She cares about the team win.”
