BURNABY, B.C. -- Josiah Mastandrea tied his career high by scoring 25 points Tuesday, but the Simon Fraser men's basketball team fell 85-64 at Northwest Nazarene in Nampa, Idaho.

The senior guard came off the bench to make seven 3-pointers on 10 attempts. In total, Mastandrea shot 75 per cent (9 of 12) from the field against the Nighthawks. He had those exact shooting statistics the other time he posted 25 points this season, against Langara on Nov. 21, 2021.

Senior Julian Roche grabbed 10 rebounds to lead all players in the game. Senior guard/forward Jordan Lyons recorded seven assists and seven rebounds for SFU (11-12, 6-9 GNAC).

Five NNU players scored in double digits, led by Gabriel Murphy's 20 points. The team improved to 10-8 and 8-5 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference games. 

The Nighthawks got off to a strong start, going ahead 14-4. A Mastandrea three-point shot got SFU to within two possessions of NNU at 16-10. The hosts, however, steadily built on their advantage. It was extended to 12 points midway through the opening half and then to 16 with 5:48 to go. The Nighthawks used a 6-0 run to hold a 21-point edge, 45-24, with 3:31 on the clock. Mastandrea closed out the half with another long-distance basket, but the visitors were behind 49-31 at the break.

NNU went up 59-35 about three minutes into the second half. SFU then went on an 18-1 run over the next four minutes to trail by just seven points, 60-53. Mastandrea kicked off the surge with a two-point jumper, and then a three. On the next possession, he stole the ball back and eventually found Lyons with a pass. Lyons made the layup and followed that up with a steal himself. In transition, junior guard/forward Jahmal Wright finished the play and SFU was behind 59-44.

The run continued. Another steal, this time by junior guard Wilfried Balata, turned into a three-point basket from freshman guard Elliot Dimaculangan. A single NNU free throw broke a streak of 12-consecutive points before SFU added three more to cut its deficit to just 60-53 with about seven minutes before the end of regulation.

However, SFU could not get any closer as the Nighthawks regained control by posting 21 of the game's next 26 points to go ahead 81-58 with just under four minutes left.
 

SFU shot 37.3 per cent from the field (25 of 67), 32.3 per cent from behind the three-point line (10 of 31) and 57.1 per cent on free throws (4 of 7).

NNU outscored the Canadian visitors 44-26 in the paint. The Nighthawks were efficient on offence making 53.2 per cent of their field goal attempts and 42.9 per cent of their 3-pointers (9 of 21). They were 10 of 17 (58.8 per cent) on foul shots.

SFU will play Saturday against Western Washington. It's the West Gym Whiteout at the final home games before playoffs. Hundreds of t-shirts will be tossed into the crowd and fans are encouraged to wear white at Saturday's basketball contests. The women's game tips-off at 5:15 p.m. and the men's game follows at 7:30 p.m. There is free admission and parking in West Mall for SFU and FIC students, faculty and staff with valid ID. One ticket gets you into both games.

The GNAC expanded this year's conference playoff tournament to all 10 men's and women's programs. The GNAC Championships will run from March 2 to 5.

For the latest information on SFU Athletics, visit https://athletics.sfu.ca. You can also find us on social media at @SFU_Athletics.

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