By: Dylan Webb, Sports Editor
The SFU Women’s Basketball team continued its strong run of play with consecutive victories over St. Martin’s University and Seattle Pacific University last week. The Clan secured a 65–55 victory over St. Martin’s University at the Marcus Pavillion in Lacey before defeating Seattle Pacific University 75–68 at the Royal Brougham Pavilion in Seattle two days later.
In the first win of the week, the Clan shrugged off a sluggish start thanks to strong performances from Sophie Klassen and Jessica Jones. Klassen poured in 15 points and added seven rebounds and three steals, while Jones scored 13 points, including three three-pointers. The biggest story of the game was a 19-point run in the fourth quarter by the Clan that pushed the game out of reach to secure the win.
Riding a wave of momentum from their big win in Lacey, the Clan moved to Seattle to take on Seattle Pacific University. Once again, SFU struggled early in the game and were down nine points by the end of the first quarter. However, another impressive shooting performance from Jones, which included an astounding seven three-pointers, kept the game close enough for the Clan to put together another late run that would allow the team to extend its winning streak to four games. On top of Jones’ team-leading 21 points, she also added six rebounds, four assists, and two steals to round out one of her most impressive performances in a Clan uniform.
With the two wins in Washington, the Clan improved their 2019–20 GNAC record to 11–4. This impressive record has the team in the top three, alongside Northwest Nazerene University and the powerhouse Anchorage Seawolves. While the Clan hasn’t officially clinched its berth in the GNAC Championship tournament, which is slated for March 5–7 at the Royal Brougham Pavilion, one or two more wins over their remaining six games will likely be enough to do so, depending on the performance of the other teams that are close to them in the standings. After playing their final two home games of the regular season, the team will make their only trip of the season to Alaska on February 20–22 to take on both University of Alaska teams.
