Monday, February 11, 2019
PORTLAND, Ore. – Fresh off a victory over the conference's first-place team last week, the Simon Fraser men's basketball team faced another test against second-place Northwest Nazarene on Thursday. The Clan ultimately doubled down, picking up another upset victory en route to a perfect 2-0 week.
The team tipped off that week with a one-point victory at home against the Nighthawks before blowing out Central Washington for an 82-66 win to earn the selection as GNAC Team of the Week.
"We are starting to gel as a team and play for each other on both ends of the court," said head coach Steve Hanson. "It has been fun to watch our guys figure it out and gain confidence with some tough wins. Because Julian (Roche) and Jasdeep (Singh) have been so efficient inside, our guards are benefiting from the double-teaming we are seeing each night."
Hanson's team was paced on the week by Singh, who averaged 21 points and five rebounds per game over the two victories.
The Clan had three players score in double figures in the 78-77 victory to tip-off the week, led by a 17-point outburst from Singh. It was freshman Wilfried Balata who was pivotal down the stretch for the home team, coming off the bench and scoring nine of his club's final 11 points to seal the deal.
Simon Fraser stayed hot two days later, jumping out to a 43-26 halftime lead and never looking back in a 16-point win over the visiting Wildcats. Singh led all scorers in the contest, dropping 25 points while pulling down four rebounds.
The victory moved the team into a tie for sixth place, a much sought-after spot with the top six teams at the end of the regular season qualifying for the GNAC Championships.
"We have to stay the course as we haven't accomplished anything yet, but we are certainly excited about our upcoming games and the opportunities that lie ahead," Hanson said. "We have to continue to focus on one game at a time with Western Washington at our house this week followed by Montana State Billings on the road."
That border battle with the Vikings will tip-off on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in Burnaby. Hanson's team will then hit the road for a Thursday evening date with the Yellowjackets in Billings.