By: Dylan Webb, Sports Editor
There is some good news and some bad news when it comes to the SFU Women’s Basketball team. The good news is that a string of strong performances earlier in the season allowed the Clan to clinch a spot in the upcoming GNAC Championship tournament. The bad news is that the team has cooled off in the last few weeks by losing four of their last five games with playoffs just around the corner.
After splitting the two games on their Alaska road trip, the Clan took off for Bellingham, Washington knowing that they had already secured a spot in the GNAC Championship tournament. Nevertheless, despite the confidence boost that earning a playoff spot usually provides, the team fell to Western Washington University by an enormous 29-point margin. Though the Clan benefitted from a relatively balanced offensive attack that included double-digit points from Justina Chan, Claudia Hart, Jessica Jones, and Jessica Wisotzki, they were no match for the offensive depth put on display by Western Washington University. The loss brought the team’s record down to 12–7 on the season, which has them in fourth place in the conference with just one game remaining on their regular season schedule.
Having punched their ticket to the GNAC Championships, the final game of the season presents an opportunity to tighten up defensively and build some momentum in advance of the playoffs. More important than the result of the final game is the team’s confidence level heading into a championship tournament that will see the Clan face a University of Alaska Anchorage team that crushed them by more than 20 points in both meetings this season. The Seawolves have also won nine games in a row and lost just once in conference play this season, so they will obviously be a formidable opponent.
As the 2019–20 season draws to a close for the SFU Women’s Basketball team, it’s safe to say that it was a successful one for the program. Finishing fourth in the conference to secure a berth in the GNAC Championships is an impressive accomplishment, even if it means the Clan will enter the championship tournament as a clear underdog. As many competitive athletes know, sometimes underdog status can relieve the pressure and allow a team to just play in and enjoy the moment. Hopefully this holds true and the Clan can pull off an early-March upset to claim the GNAC Championship trophy. The GNAC Championship tournament will take place at the Royal Brougham Pavilion in Seattle, Washington from March 5 to 7.
