On Saturday, the SFU women’s basketball team looked to bounce back from a tough loss against Western Oregon University, hosting Concordia University at the West Gym. While the Clan still struggled shooting from the field, a great defensive effort and a strong second half made the difference.
SFU continued last game’s shooting slump into the first half of this one, shooting 10–29 from the field and 1–9 from behind the arc. Despite this, the team was able to keep the game close. By the end of the first quarter, the Clan were down 16–14.
Their struggles continued into the second quarter, and they found themselves down five heading into the break. Concordia’s Olivia Vezaldenos stood out in the first half, playing all 20 minutes and leading all scorers with 14 points.
The Clan started to heat up in the third quarter, going on an 11–0 run near the end of the third quarter. Behind this, the Clan would go into the fourth up 48–44.
The Clan maintained their lead in the fourth quarter, behind excellent free-throw shooting down the stretch. Taylor Drynan and Sophie Swant combined to go 8–8 from the line in the last few minutes of play, closing out a well earned victory for SFU.
Slowing down Vezaldenos was key to the Clan’s second-half success, as they forced her to shoot 2–11 from the field (both makes coming from three). Concordia only shot 32.1% as a team in the second half, while also being forced into 12 turnovers by SFU’s smothering defence.
SFU are still struggling from the field as a team, shooting only 35.7% (20–56) from the field in this one. The story is the opposite from the free-throw line, however, as the team shot an excellent 84.6% (22–26) in the game. If the threes start falling as they should, this team has the potential to cause a lot of problems in the GNAC.
With the win, the Clan are now 3–3 in the GNAC this season, and 7–6 overall.
Peak player of the game: Sophie Swant
For the Clan, Sophie Swant led the way with 14 points, most of which came from the free throw line, where she went 10–10. She also led the team with eight rebounds and three steals. Her defensive intensity was a key factor in the team’s success.
What’s next:
SFU will play their next two games on the road against Saint Martin’s University (1–5) and Seattle Pacific University (3–3) on Thursday, January 17 and Saturday, January 19.
