Monday, February 29, 2016

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Simon Fraser women’s basketball team came away with two tough road victories at Alaska and No. 1 ranked Alaska Anchorage, earning the GNAC’s Red Lion Team of the Week award. The Clan were able to accomplish something no other team can say during the 2015-16 campaign, which is to defeat the Seawolves within the confines of the Alaska Airlines Center.

“We lost our best player, Meg Wilson, at the beginning of the year, so to see where we have finished at the end of the season is really great,” said head coach Bruce Langford. “To receive the award is a nice rewarding piece at the end of a long season.”

Entering the week having already clinched a playoff spot, the Clan were in position to generate momentum heading into the GNAC Women’s Basketball Championships.

On Thursday against Alaska, the Clan got two 20-point performances from guards Elisa Homer and Alisha Roberts. Homer led the way with 25 points while Roberts scored 24 on 9 for 13 shooting. The Clan shot 46.4 percent from the field as they defeated the Nanooks 83-68. The victory officially sealed Simon Fraser as the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament.

The Clan then faced the No. 1 ranked Division II team in Alaska Anchorage on Saturday. With the Seawolves locked as the No. 1 seed and the Clan in at No. 4, both teams were playing to be at their best heading into the GNAC Championships. After falling behind early by as many as nine points in the first quarter, the Clan rallied back against the Seawolves and held possession of the lead for the entire third quarter.

The final stanza was full of back-and-forth action, with the lead changing hands or the score evening up six different times. In the end, Rachel Fradgley converted an old-fashioned three-point play with 10 seconds remaining to grab a one-point lead and the defense held on the Seawolves final possession to secure the 67-66 victory.

“We’ve had close games with them in the past, but just haven’t gotten over the hurdle,” Langford said. “I felt like we did some good things at the end of the game to get the victory.”

Junior guard Ellen Kett had one of the top performances of the season with the only triple-double in all of GNAC basketball. Kett’s line included 14 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in 38 minutes played in one of the toughest buildings in the nation for a road team.

“Ellen has been outstanding this year,” Langford said. “I think she has been more valuable than any other player on any team. For us, we would be a fraction of where we are without her.”

As the No. 4 seed, the Clan will play the No. 5 seed Central Washington in the quarterfinal round of the GNAC Championships in Lacey, Wash., on Mar. 3 at 7:30 p.m. Pacific time. With a win, the Clan would earn a rematch with Alaska Anchorage in the semifinal round.

“Central Washington has a couple of very dynamic players so it is going to be a tough tournament as usual,” Langford said. “I think Lacey is a really good location for the tournament, so we are looking forward to it.”