BURNABY, BC – The Simon Fraser University men's basketball squad got off to a slow start and paid for it, suffering an 89-55 loss to the 16th-ranked Seattle Pacific Falcons in their inaugural Great Northwest Athletic Conference contest Thursday night at the West Gym.
The Falcons (6-1) won their sixth straight game while SFU saw its losing streak extend to five.
SFU fell behind 19-3 as the Falcons reeled off 16 unanswered points after the Clan's opening bucket and the Clan shot just 29% from the field in the first half. Simon Fraser drew to within 36-21 at halftime.
Clan freshman
Oshea Gairey made a layup 40 seconds into the second half, bringing the Clan within 36-23. But they would get no closer than that 13-point margin the rest of the way.
SFU made a push in the second half, but couldn't muster enough offense to keep pace with the red hot Falcons. Seattle Pacific got a whopping 37 points from their bench, compared to just 5 for the Clan. The Clan was also outrebounded 45-21.
SFU junior guard
Max Barkeley provided 18 points and was aggressive attacking the hoop, going 8-for-10 from the free throw line. Gairey added 11 of his own, while adding four steals on defense.
Leading the way for the Falcons was the 6-foot-8 junior center, Joe Rasmussen, who had 18 points on an efficient 6-for-8 effort from the field. That effort included making all three of his three-point shots. He was one of four Falcons to hit double digits in points.
SPU managed to shoot 51.9% from the field for the game, compared to just 30.9% for SFU. With the loss, the Clan move to 1-6 on the season, and Seattle Pacific improves to 6-1 overall and 1-0 in GNAC play.
The Clan hope to rebound at the West Gym Whiteout on Saturday, December 5th against Saint Martin's University (2:30 PM tip-off).
Fans are encouraged to wear white to the conference games on Saturday. The first 1,000 fans to the West Gym Whiteout will receive a free SFU Athletics 50th anniversary commemorative t-shirt. In addition, there will be a chance to win dozens of amazing prizes, including a $500 travel voucher from Merit Travel, and two $500 SFU Bookstore gift cards.
The West Gym Whiteout Saturday begins with a women's contest at noon.
--@SFUClan--
