By: Jenessa Gladstone
Box Score
Lacey, WA- In their final game of the season, the Simon Fraser University men's basketball team fell against the Saint Martin's University Saints, 76-67 on Saturday night.
"I am proud of how the team played in the month of February and of my seniors," said Head Coach James Blake. "They are going to go on to be great citizens, and great alumni. I look forward to watching them all grow and move on in life."
In his final game with the Clan, Taylor Dunn (Vancouver, WA) led all players with 29 points.
Also playing his last game in an SFU uniform, Ibrahim Appiah (Montreal, QC) led the rebounding effort, grabbing 13 boards.
Evan Coutler topped the Saints' scoreboard with 26 points while Riley Carel earned 17.
Despite the loss, SFU forced 14 turnovers from SMU while committing only nine themselves.
However, the Saints dominated the boards grabbing 48 rebounds to the Clan's 38.
The visitors did top the home team on the offensive boards though, as SFU grabbed 17 offensive rebounds to SMU's 14.
The Clan also shot 32.4 percent from field goal range, 15.0 percent from three-point range, and 69.2 percent from the line.
With 13:33 to go in the first half, an 11-0 run gave SMU a 15-6 lead.
A jumper from Dunn cut the Saints' run and ignited a 21-1 run for the Clan. Keeping SMU scoreless for over five minutes, SFU earned a 27-16 lead with 7:08 to go until the break.
SFU maintained the lead throughout the remainder of the first half, taking a 36-29 lead into the locker rooms at halftime.
In the second half, a costly foul from allowed the Saint's to earn a 44-43 lead with 13:03 to go in the game.
A long-distance three-pointer from Justin Cole (Los Angeles, CA) tied the score at 59 a piece with 5:54 remaining.
However the Saints closed the game on a 10-3 run to earn the victory.
SFU wraps up their 2013-2014 with a 3-15 GNAC record and 10-16 overall.
"I am very excited to coach the returning players next season and we will continue to get better each year," finished Blake. "The junior class is very talented and we have some exciting freshman coming in with a good recruiting class."
