Gavin Long vs Western Oregon Jan. 13, 2018
Andrew Towell
80
Seattle Pacific SPU 11-7, 6-5 GNAC
81
Winner Simon Fraser SFU 9-10, 3-8 GNAC
Seattle Pacific SPU
11-7, 6-5 GNAC
80
Final
81
Simon Fraser SFU
9-10, 3-8 GNAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Seattle Pacific SPU 36 44 80
Simon Fraser SFU 30 51 81

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Simon Fraser Edges SPU Men, 81-80

Gavin Long (above) compiled 22 of his career-high 26 points in the second half

     • FINAL STATS (html)

SEATTLE – Kedar Salam collected 25 of his game-high 35 points during the second half Thursday, helping Simon Fraser rally from an eight-point deficit to edge Seattle Pacific 81-80 in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball game at West Gym.
 
Salam entered the game as the league's third-leading scorer with an 18.2-point average. He was held to just one basket during the opening 14 minutes, before compiling eight of his team's 11 points during the final six minutes of the first half.
 
His second-half outburst included four 3-pointers. Salam shot 14 of 24 for the game as the Clan snapped a five-game losing skid.
 
Nearly as impressive was SPU sophomore Gavin Long, who tallied 22 second-half points en route to a career-high tally of 26. He converted 10 of 13 shots from the field, including 9-for-10 accuracy after halftime. Long made his only 3-point attempt and all five of his free throws.
 
During the final two minutes Long twice answered go-ahead baskets by Salam. The Clan guard nailed a trey to break a 69-69 tie, but Long responded with an old-fashioned three-point play with 1:46 remaining to again level the score.
 
A Salam layup at 1:28 was followed by a layup from long that forged the final tie, 74-74, with one minute showing on the clock.
 
On the next possession Salam put Simon Fraser ahead for good with a 3-pointer from the top of the key and, following a Falcons' miss, Michael Provenzano drained two free throws for a 79-74 lead with 20.2 seconds left.
 
Braden Olsen's trey with 12.5 seconds remaining brought SPU within 79-77, but Othniel Spence converted two free throws at 10.4 to secure the win.
 
A Falcons' 3-pointer at the buzzer by Nikhil Lizotte set the final score.
 
Seattle Pacific (11-7) moved to 6-5 in GNAC play after another tight battle with the Clan. In this season's first meeting, on Dec. 30 in Seattle, the Falcons closed regulation with an 11-2 run to force overtime and eventually won 98-93.
 
Coleman Wooten scored 13 points Thursday and Harry Cavell had 10 and a career-best six assists.

 
8568
Nathan Streufert grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds
Nathan Streufert corralled 16 caroms to lead the Falcons' 50-24 domination on the boards.
 
For the fifth consecutive game the injury riddled Falcons used just eight players. They have been without leading scorer Tony Miller, who was averaging 18.0 points before being sidelined by injury.
 
JJ Pankratz tallied 16 points for the Clan and Spence finished with 12. Simon Fraser (9-10) improved to 3-8 in conference play.

Three turnovers and a trio of missed shots in the opening possessions put the Falcons in a 7-2 hole three minutes into the contest. The Clan lead was 9-4 before Olsen scored the final three points of a five-point SPU surge that forged a 9-9 tie.
 
Jordan Muir-Keung staked Simon Fraser to a 17-16 lead on a 3-pointer with 9:06 left in the first half. The Falcons reeled off the next 10 points, six of them from Cavell, to claim a 26-7 advantage.
 
The Clan drew within 36-30 by halftime as Salam started heating up with eight points inside the final six minutes.
 
The visitors led at halftime despite 11 turnovers and 0-for-8 shooting on 3-pointers. SPU made up for those deficiencies with 14-of-15 accuracy from the free throw line and a 28-11 rebound margin.
 
Early in the second half the Falcons led 42-35 before Simon Fraser scored 10 unanswered points, ignited by a four-point play from Salam who was fouled while making a 3-pointer. SPU reclaimed the upper hand with a seven straight points, but the Clan staged a 13-3 spree to surge into a 60-54 lead with 8:33 left to play.
 
SPU chipped away at that deficit and tied the game, 69-69 on a put-back by Wooten with 2:24 remaining. That set up the dramatic showdown between Salam and Long during the final two minutes.
 
The SPU men visit Bellingham on Saturday at 3 p.m. for a clash with 23rd-ranked Western Washington that will be televised live on Root Sports.
 
 
NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL
Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018
West Gym / Burnaby, B.C.
 
at Simon Fraser 81, Seattle Pacific 80
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (11-7, 6-5 GNAC)
Wooten 5-9 3-3 13, Streufert 3-10 2-2 8, Lizotte 3-6 2-2 9, Colosimo 0-3 0-0 0, Long 10-13 5-5 26, Cavell 3-10 4-4 10, Olsen 3-10 2-3 9, Eisenhower 1-7 2-2 5. Totals 28-68 20-21 80.
 
SIMON FRASER (9-10, 3-8 GNAC)
Pankratz 6-16 3-5 16, Lewin 1-1 0-0 2, Salam 14-24 3-4 35, Sherman-Newsome 1-4 0-0 2, Provenzano 3-5 3-3 9, Spence 4-9 2-2 12, Muir-Keung 2-2 0-2 5, Vranjes 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 31-61 11-16 81. 
 
Seattle Pacific...............   36   44  -   80
Simon Fraser... ..............   30   51  -   81

 
3-point goals--SPU 4-16 (Olsen 1-1, Eisenhower 1-7, Long 1-1, Lizotte 1-4, Colosimo 0-2, Cavell 0-1), SF 8-20 (Salam 4-7, Spence 2-5, Pankratz 1-5, Muir-Keung 1-1, Sherman-Newsome 0-2). Fouled out--SPU-None, SF-None. Rebounds--SPU 50 (Streufert 16), SF 24 (Sherman-Newsome 6). Assists--SPU 11 (Cavell 6), SF 12 (Pankratz 4). Total fouls--SPU 15, SF 20. Technical fouls--SPU-None, SF-None. A-975.
 
 
Next SPU Men's Basketball Game
Seattle Pacific at #23 Western Washington
Saturday, Jan. 27, 3:00 p.m. PST – ROOT SPORTS TV
Carver Gymnasium / Bellingham, Wash.
 
 
 
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