Burnaby, BC – In an action-packed game that came down to the wire, the Simon Fraser University men's basketball team put themselves back in the win column with a must-needed victory over Saint Martin's Saturday night.

Watch the game On Demand in HD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWIl1jEYflg.

The Clan took the game 97-87 led by senior Justin Cole (Los Angeles, CA) who scored a game-high 25 points while adding seven rebounds and two steals.

"I felt the pressure tonight as I haven't been playing my best game the last three games," Cole said post-game. "My coach and my teammates told me to keep shooting the ball and they would set me up, so with them behind me I came out tonight to win the game."

Simon Fraser opened strong as a Cole three-pointer got the ball rolling for the hosts, as the Clan took an early 17-14 lead.

The Saints were undeterred, however, as their attempts to break the Clan press improved and they brought the game within striking distance at 24-23 midway through the half.

Simon Fraser took a 9-4 run to close the half, leading 53-44 at the end of the first period, looking poised to finish strong in the second half.

The Saints, however, opened the half strong, switching the momentum in their favour as they tied the game at 58-58 five minutes in.

Leading 70-62 with eleven minutes remaining, a Roderick Evans-Taylor dunk brought the crowd to their feet, sparking intensity on SFU's defensive end, as the Clan were able to protect their lead and close the game out strong 97-87.

"It was great tonight," Cole continued. "The quicker we moved the ball the easier the shots came. We forced turnovers and got our shots off. Looking ahead we hope to win more games playing like this."

Evans-Taylor added 16 points and nine rebounds, while Sango Niang had 14 points and six assists for SFU.

With the win the Clan improve to 2-6 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play, and to 6-10 overall, while the Saints fall to 2-7 in conference play.

Simon Fraser will spend the next week at home where they will look for conference win number three, hosting Alaska Fairbanks and Alaska Anchorage on Thursday and Saturday.

Tip off for both games will be at 7:00 p.m. in the West Gym, and fans can follow the action live in HD at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yBM71_N5Vg and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87onIFVbBTc.