By: Jenessa Gladstone
Box Score
Burnaby, BC – Hitting their home court for the first time this season, the Simon Fraser University Clan defeated the 2012-13 Canadian Collegiate Athletics Aassociation National Champions, the Vancouver Island Mariners, 87-74.
The match was a homecoming for at least one member of VIU, as Mariner Head Coach Matt Kuzminski played for SFU from 2007-2010.
"We continue to underestimate teams, but there were some guys that stepped up to get the win," said Head Coach James Blake. "We also need more players to really come in and help lead the team though."
Forward David Gebru (Seattle, WA) led the Clan with 24 points and eight rebounds. Three other players hit double-digits as Sango Niang (Paris, France) earned 15 points, Dillon Hamiton (Vancouver, BC) grabbed 11, and Elijah Matthews (Washington, DC) chipped in 10.
Brandon Jones topped all players in the contest, leading the Mariners with 36 points.
Niang also added eight assists, the most from any player on the night.
SFU's defensive play proved to be a key part in the victory as the team forced 23 turnovers from Vancouver Island while committing only 13 of their own.
The home team suffered from a slow start to the game as the Mariners took an early lead over the Clan, taking off on a 17-5 run during the first four minutes of the match.
But, Hamilton came into the game off the bench and knocked down three long-distance shots from beyond the arc to bring SFU within four with 14:12 to go in the first half.
Five minutes later, Matthews also hit a three-point shot, tying the score at 28-28.
Each team continued to battle hard throughout the final minutes of the first half, as the lead was traded eight more times. A last second dunk from Brandon Jones put the Marines on top though, as the visitors led 49-47 at halftime.
Niang stepped up in the second half to bring the home side back, knocking down a wide-open three-pointer to give the squad a 63-60 lead with 13:58 left in the game.
The shot sparked a 15-7 run, which gave the Clan a late lead of 78-67.
The win brings the Clan's record to 2-1 so far on the season, all non-conference games.
The squad will be back in action on Saturday, November 16 at 7:00 p.m. when they host the Notre Dame de Namur Argonauts. The game is the team's annual "Red Night" honouring the programs alumni.
