The Clan continued their strong season by winning on Saturday in Oregon, even though it wasn’t pretty. Both teams shot below 40% from the field on the night, and both teams scored well below their season average.
While Simon Fraser only scored 12 points in the first quarter, their defense made up for it as Western Oregon failed to even get into double-digits. They were on their way to a low-scoring affair.
In the second quarter, an Elisa Homer three-pointer helped give the team a 21–12 lead early. After another three-pointer by Homer, a Shelby Snook basket put the teams at 28–20 going into the half. At this point, Homer was leading all scorers with 11 points in 17 minutes, including three three-pointers. All of these points came in an impressive second quarter.
The Clan was able to extend this lead in the third quarter, as a Rachel Fradgley basket gave them a 38–24 lead at 5:51. This lead eventually extended to as much as 17, after a Homer three-pointer made the score 46–29 at 2:40. Going into the fourth quarter, the lead was still at a comfortable 13 points: 46–33. In a game in which the basket seemed two sizes too small, Simon Fraser were confident they would maintain this edge.
The fourth quarter went in favour of the opponent, however, as the Wolves were able to cut the lead to as little as seven. The Clan responded, as a layup and a pair of free throws by Ellen Kett helped stop the run, and strong play down the stretch showed why Simon Fraser is one of the best teams in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC). They would eventually go on to win 60–49, as they were outscored 16–14 in the fourth — the only quarter they didn’t win in the game.
In a game in which both teams couldn’t buy a basket, Elisa Homer’s shooting touch stood out even more than usual. She went 5–8 from behind the arc, eventually leading all scorers with 17 points. Rachel Fradgley also played well offensively, as she had 12 points on an efficient 6–9 shooting from the field. While the 21 turnovers are worrisome, the grind-it-out effort Simon Fraser displayed more than made up for it.
With this win Simon Fraser improves to 10–2 in the GNAC and 19–3 overall.
Next Game: The Clan will look to extend their winning streak to four games as they host Northwest Nazarene University on Thursday, February 2. Northwest Nazarene are an even 6–6 in conference play, and 8–10 overall.
