Ellen Kett’s dominant season continued Saturday night, as the senior point guard recorded a record 20 assists in one game against Montana State Billings. This set the record for most assists in a game in Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) history, as well as the fourth-most all time in NCAA Division II history. Kett smashed the old record of 16 assists, previously set by Ally Schmidt of Central Washington in 2012.
Kett’s phenomenal passing ability was on display throughout the game, and her teammates were able to convert on the opportunities she gave them — evidenced by SFU shooting 61.8% from the field.
Ellen Kett finished the game with 20 assists (yes you read that right). I don’t think that one is getting broken anytime soon. pic.twitter.com/GZ5E6vHsdo
— Peak Sports (@PeakSFUSports) February 19, 2017
The team got off to a great start behind a 10–2 run to begin the first quarter. Of the five baskets scored during this run, Kett assisted four of them, establishing herself as a primary playmaker early on. The Clan struggled for the rest of the quarter. However, the Yellowjackets went on a 10–2 run of their own to make the score 12–12 heading into the second frame.
In the second quarter, Simon Fraser was able to separate themselves from their opponents. As expected, Kett’s passing ability was on display throughout the quarter, as she added seven assists to her total in the frame. Going into the half, she had a game-high 11 assists. Meg Wilson and Rachel Fradgley were both a perfect 4–4 from the field, with nine and eight points respectively. Rachel Swant scored eight points off the bench in the half as well, including two three-pointers. The teams headed into the half with a score of 38–30 for the visiting team.
Simon Fraser stretched the lead out a little more in the third quarter with a 15–5 . During it, SFU dominated the paint and propelled the Clan to a 57–42 lead with three and a half minutes to go in the quarter. At 2:21, a Tia Tsang three-pointer marked the 16th assist by Kett, tying the previous GNAC single-game record. The score was 62–51 heading into the final quarter, and Kett had 10 more minutes to create a new record.
She broke the record convincingly, adding four assists as well as eight points in the final quarter to finish the game with a line of 14 points and 20 assists. The team won by a blowout score of 87–65, ensuring the team will finish third in the GNAC.
For those who have followed the Clan this season, a breakout game like this by Kett is no surprise. Her playmaking ability at the point guard position has been the catalyst of the team’s success throughout the year. Head coach Bruce Langford has always trusted in his senior point guard, playing her for big minutes in almost every game this season. Games like this are simply a reminder as to why she is so integral to the team’s success. As Langford told SFU athletics, “Our offense is designed to put the ball in [Kett’s] hands for a reason.”
The Simon Fraser front court were beneficiaries of Kett’s passing in this one. Wilson led the team in scoring with 19 points on a very efficient 8–9 from the field and 2–2 from the free throw line. Fradgley had 12 points on a perfect 6–6 from the field. Elisa Homer had 11 points, including three three-pointers. Tayla Jackson rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points off the bench.
With this win Simon Fraser are now 14–4 in the GNAC and 23–5 overall. They will finish as the third seed in the GNAC with only two conference games left to play.
Next Game: Simon Fraser will host the University of Alaska Fairbanks in their second-last game of the season on Thursday, February 23. The Nanooks are an even 9–9 in conference play and 13–12 overall. Last time these two teams played, SFU squeaked out a 79–77 victory, behind freshman Tia Tsang’s 16 points.
Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m.
