CLAN LOOK TO WIN THIRD IN LAST FOUR OUTINGS
Last Thursday night's game was a thriller in the West Gym with a heartbreaking finish for the SFU men's basketball team as the Clan came within seconds of
defeating the fourth place Alaska Anchorage Seawolves - a team SFU has not beaten since joining the NCAA - only to fall 65-64.
The Clan used the disappointing defeat as motivation, coming back with a
vengeance on Saturday night against the third place Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks.
SFU played a strong game from start to finish against the Nanooks as the home team was led by junior transfer guard Sango Niang who had 15 points and senior Ibrahim Appiah who had a double double scoring 13 points with 12 rebounds.
It was a full team effort as a total of five Clan players reached double digits as Justin Cole had 12, Dillon Hamilton scored 11 and Taylor Dunn netted 10.
The win over thrd place Alaska Fairbanks marked the highest ranked GNAC team SFU has defeated since joining the NCAA and the Clan will look to do one better tonight.
The visiting Vikings have been one of the elite teams in the GNAC since the Clan joined the NCAA and this year has been no different, as WWU is battling Seattle Pacific for conference supremacy with a 9-2 record.
The Clan have already proven they can play with Western Washington as SFU led at halftime in the two teams first meeting of the season and held a seven point lead early in the second half before the top ranked Vikings charged back.
SFU will look to take the next step tonight and beat their cross border rival, a win that would pull the Clan within striking distance in the GNAC playoff race.
CLAN VISIT IDAHO WITH A SECOND PLACE TIE IN THEIR SIGHTS
On Thursday night the Clan got back in the win column in a very balanced Great Northwest Athletic Conference, defeating the Central Washington Wildcats after losing to first place Montana State Billings last Saturday in the West Gym, a win that snapped the Clan's four game winning streak.
While a win over MSUB the Simon Fraser women would have pulled into a tie for first but the strong Yellowjackets squad held off a scrappy Clan team.
A win over the Northwest Nazarene Crusaders tonight in Idaho would give the Clan the season sweep over NNU but more importantly, could move the Clan into second place if SFU's Thursday opponent Central Washington can upset their opponents, the second place Western Washington Vikings.
Seattle Pacific who visits MSUB and Saint Martin's who host Alaska Fairbanks could also move into second, or a share of it, with a Western Washington loss.
While the Clan have won five of their past six contests the home Crusaders have been going in the opposite direction, losing six of the past eight.
Though the Crusaders have been struggling Nampa, ID is always a difficult place to play and the home side will be hungry.
The last time these two teams met in the West Gym the GNAC's leading scorer Erin Chambers had a game high 25 points while senior Rebecca Langmead posted a double double with 15 points and 12 assists while also blocking five shots.
A total of four players reached double figures in scoring in that game as junior Katie Lowen and senior Kia Van Laare eached added 11 for the Clan.
Megan Hingston has led NNU in scoring and on the boards this year with 16.3 points and eight rebounds per game.
Last time these two teams met, the Clan did a good job of neutralizing the NNU leader, holding her to two points and four rebounds.
Both teams shoot well from beyond the arc, as NNU is second in the conference shooting 0.346 while the Clan are fourth at 0.325.
Defending against the long ball is a different story though as the Clan lead the GNAC with teams shooting just 0.241 on three point attempts while NNU is 10th in the conference as teams shoot 0.346 from beyond the arc against the Crusaders.
After tonight's game the Clan women will return home for a pair of games next week, hosting their final two home games of 2013-14 against the Western Oregon Wolves on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. before the Clan's signature Pink Game+ in support of children's cancer charities on Saturday against the Saint Martin's Saints.
Saturday's game will also mark senior's night as Marie-Line Petit, Rebecca Langmead, Kia Van Laare and Chelsea Reist play their final home games in the West Gym.
