Burnaby, BC - In their first Great Northwest Athletic Conference game of the season, the Simon Fraser University men's basketball team fell against the Saint Martin's University Saints, 78-62.
 
"We got another slow start tonight, so we need to figure out why that is. We don't defend well in the first ten minutes and end up having to make second-half comebacks," said Head Coach James Blake. "We need the ball to go inside and not be shooting 29 three-pointers a game."
 
SFU shot 40 percent from field goal range and 33 percent from beyond the arc.
 
"We didn't mesh tonight, the chemistry just wasn't there. We're all talented, but sometimes we settle for one-on-one baskets as opposed to the best shot on the court," said senior Taylor Dunn (Vancouver, WA). "We've shown how good we can be, which is very encouraging. Now we just need to figure out we're doing right when we play well and amplify that."
 
Dunn led SFU on the night, earning 19 points while also grabbing five rebounds and two assists.
 
David Gebru (Seattle, WA) followed Dunn with 16 points of his own as Justin Cole (Los Angeles, CA) added 11. 
 
Saints' guard Even Coulter lead all players with 21 points while Ryan Rogers aided in SMU's effort as well, earning 17 points and nine rebounds. 
 
SFU suffered on the boards, as the visitors outrebounded the home team 36-24.  
 
SMU's outside game set up an early road block for SFU, as Rogers knocked down two early shots from three-point range.
 
The Clan continued to have trouble finding their momentum, allowing SMU to hold the lead the entire first twenty minutes. 
 
With just 0:02 left in the first half, a long-distance three-pointer from Dunn brought the halftime score to 41-33.
 
SFU came out of the locker room recharged, kicking off the second half with a 13-4 run, bringing the team within two of SMU, 45-43 with 16:59 to go. 
 
With 16:22 on the clock, Ibrahim Appiah (Montreal, QC) hit a momentum-shifting three-point bucket, to give the home team their first lead of the game, 46-45, but the Saints rebounded with a 12-0 run with 7:30 left in the game, bringing the score to 67-61.
 
The visitors continued to lead the remainder of the game, resulting in the 16 point loss for the Clan. 
 
The loss breaks the Clan's five-game win streak, bringing the team's record to 6-2 overall and 0-1 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. 
 
The Clan will now prepare to take on the Western Oregon Wolves on Saturday, December 7. The game will take place at 5:15 p.m. in the West Gym, followed by a women's game at 7:30 p.m.