SFU goes 1-1 during Alaska road trip

Read the game recaps courtesy of SFU Athletics
January 28, 2018

Thursday January 25 - SFU vs University of Alaska

FAIRBANKS, Alaska — Sophie Swant scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Simon Fraser University to a 77-61 win over the Alaska Nanooks in Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball action at the Alaska Airlines Court on Thursday.

SFU improves to 9-10 on the season and 4-7 in league matchups while the loss drops Alaska's overall record to 4-13 and 0-11 in conference play.

Playing with just seven players, SFU jumped out to a 31-16 lead in the first quarter and never looked back. The Nanooks pushed back and outscored the Clan 13-12 in the second and 21-16 in the third before SFU edged Alaska in the fourth quarter, 18-11.

Photo: SFU Athletics

Swant scored a game-high 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting while teammate Tia Tsang collected 20 points and Jessica Jones added 14.

SFU shot 28-of-61 from the field and had a 43-33 edge in rebounds.

The Nanooks were led offensively by guard Lexi Carpenter, who shot 8-for-20 from the floor and scored 18 points on the night.

Simon Fraser is on the road at Alaska Anchorage on Saturday and then is back home in the West Gym on Feb. 1 for "Celebrate Diversity". The game against Concordia will feature an exclusive number of SFU rainbow-coloured logoed t-shirts given away, performances by different dance clubs and campus groups coming together in a celebration of the University's diverse community. Tip-off is 7PM.

Saturday January 27 - SFU vs University of Alaska Anchorage

ANCHORAGE – Simon Fraser University, playing with just seven players, lost to 9th-ranked Alaska Anchorage 82-68 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball action at the Alaska Airlines Center on Saturday.

The Seawolves (18-2, 11-1 GNAC) got 17 points from Shelby Cloninger and 16 points from Hannah Wandersee to retain a one-game lead over Seattle Pacific and Northwest Nazarene in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings. SFU (9-11, 4-8) is in seventh place in the conference. The top six teams qualify for the GNAC championship tournament.

Simon Fraser – who stunned then-No. 2 UAA 90-80 in last year's NCAA Div. II Second Round contest on the same court – was led by 19 points, four assists and three steals from junior forward Sophie Swant, plus 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting and seven rebounds from forward Tayla Jackson.

Photo: Dom Gagné

Alaska outshot the Clan .492 to .393.

Alaska led 37-30 at halftime, but the Clan rallied, scoring the first five points of the third quarter to pull within a single possession. Cloninger nailed a corner three-pointer to stop SFU's momentum at the 8:22 mark of the third, and freshman center Tennae Voliva would start a 15-0 Seawolf run when she converted a layup on a pass from Sydni Stallworth moments later.

The Seawolves led 61-49 after three quarters and pushed their largest advantage to 23 points on two occasions, going up 78-55 on a layup by Wandersee with 4:17 remaining.

The Seawolves had 16 steals on 26 Clan turnovers to offset a 34-32 rebounding disadvantage and 94.7 percent (18 of 19) free-throw shooting by SFU.

Simon Fraser is back home in the West Gym on Feb. 1 for "Celebrate Diversity". The game against Concordia will feature an exclusive number of SFU rainbow-coloured logoed t-shirts given away and different campus groups will perform at halftime and during timeouts, as the campus community comes together in a celebration of the University's diverse community.

-- files from Alaska Anchorage Athletic Communications