Nampa, ID – The Simon Fraser University men's basketball team is continuing to struggle in 2015, dropping their fifth straight game Thursday night, falling 107-103 to Northwest Nazarene University.
The Clan shot 41.7 percent from the floor in the tightly contested match, but a final push by the Crusaders was enough to shut the visitors out as Simon Fraser falls to a 6-8 record.
"This was a tough game to lose because we played our fast style for a good 30-minutes," said head coach James Blake. "Unfortunately we were sloppy and missed open shots and defensive assignments down the stretch."
SFU took an early lead against the Crusaders, pushing to 29-26 midway through the first period, but the hosts were undeterred, battling back several times throughout the game which featured 13 lead changes.
Tied at 49 approaching the halfway buzzer, the Clan offence presser to a 58-56 lead at the half, and stormed out of the gates following the break.
But leading by 11 with 14:45 left in the period, Simon Fraser saw the momentum leave their favour, as a pair of back-to-back three-pointers from Crusader Matyas Hering sparked the home team's energy.
After losing the lead SFU battled neck-and-neck with NNU in hopes of forcing the comeback, but ultimately couldn't pull it off, falling 107-103.
Sango Niang led all players on the floor with 25 points and five assists, while Roderick Evans-Taylor and Justin Cole added 17 and 14 for the Clan.
Freshmen JJ Pankratz and Patrick Simon had 15 and 11 points respectively, while Pankratz was a perfect 5-5 from the free-throw line.
"We will keep playing fast and get better every game," Blake continued. "January has been full of adversity and we have to learn that the battle against adversity will make us stronger. The team showed effort and buy-in to the system tonight, and our coaching staff can work with that moving forward."
The Clan men continue to lead the NCAA Division II in scoring, averaging 119.5 points per game, but with a 1-5 record in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference the team will need some wins moving forward to capitalize on their potential.
SFU travels to Ellensburg, WA this Saturday, where they will look to get back in the win column, taking on Central Washington.
Tip-off against the Wildcats is at 7:00 p.m. PST.
