BURNABY – Kedar Salam scored 26 points but it wasn't enough as Simon Fraser University lost 69-54 to Western Washington University in Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball action Tuesday in the West Gym.
 
Salam, who earlier in the day earned national attention with his selection as the United States Basketball Writers Association's (USBWA) Division II Men's National Player of the Week, led all scorers with 26 points on 11-of-22 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds and three steals.
 
But Simon Fraser, which led by as many as eight points midway through the first half, trailed 36-32 at the half, and faded in the second half. WWU opened the second half with an 8-2 run, and never looked back while building its lead to as many as 24 points at 69-45.
 
SFU connected on just 10-of-32 shots down the stretch and was 0-for-6 on threes. SFU was also out-rebounded by the Vikings 31-12 in the half. WWU was dominant on the boards with a 50-29 advantage in rebounds, and an 18-8 edge in offensive rebounds.
 
Western Washington finished with four players in double figures scoring, led by centre Deandre Dickson with 17 points and 13 rebounds. The Vikings outscored the Clan 33-22 in the second half.
 
The Vikings won their seventh consecutive game to improve to 12-3 overall and are in first place in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play at 7-0. The Vikings have won 14 consecutive games vs. GNAC opponents dating back to last season and have won 17 of their last 18 games against SFU dating back to 1997-98 season.
 
Simon Fraser is now 8-7 overall, 2-5 in the conference and 6-3 at home.
 
Salam is the first Simon Fraser men's basketball player to be selected as a national player of the week. He averaged 33.5 points and six rebounds per game in a pair of home contests. Salam went off for 40 points in Thursday's 91-78 win over Central Washington, becoming just the third player in SFU's NCAA era to score 40 or more points. He connected on 11 of 19 from the field, 6 of 9 from three-point range and was a perfect 12 of 12 from the free throw line. In Saturday's 82-81 loss to Northwest Nazarene, Salam again led SFU with 27 points on 11 of 22 from the field to go along with six rebounds and five assists.
 
Salam, a native of Toronto, Ont., has helped lead a resurgence for the Simon Fraser men's basketball program. The eight wins the team has this year are more than the program had in the last two seasons combined as SFU marches towards its GNAC-era best of 11 wins from the 2014-15 season.
 
--@SFUClan--