Clan roll over TRU for second straight nite in MBB
November 29, 2008
Burnaby, B.C. – “We came back but it was too little too late.” The words of Thompson Rivers University WolfPack Men’s Basketball coach Thom Gillespie after his team fell 97-83 to the hometown Simon Fraser University Clan on Burnaby Mountain Saturday night (Nov 29).
“We were down 27 points at one point,” said Gillespie. “ They hit seven of nine three pointers . But in the second quarter, we outscored them by 21 to cut the margin to four. And at one point of the game, we had it tied. :
Burke finished the night with 27 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds, as the Clan improve their record to 6-5 on the year, while TRU falls to 2-10.
Sparked by a three-pointer by Sean Burke (4th year, point guard, North Vancouver, BC) off of the opening tip-off, the Clan got things rolling quickly in the first, taking an early lead over the WolfPack. The Clan opened the quarter on a 19-to-7 run, featuring three three-pointers by Burke and back-to-back threes by Matt Kuzminski (Nanaimo, B.C.). The Clan continued to dominate the first, extending their lead to 25 as they took a 38-13 lead to close the frame.
While it appeared that TRU was in tough after the first, the WolfPack had different plans as they came out on fire in the second quarter. TRU opened the second on a 12-0 run, taking advantage of a number of Clan turnovers and fouls. The WolfPack continued on their run, outscoring the Clan 25-to-5 in the first five minutes of the second and reducing the Clan lead to as little as three points. SFU, however, managed to keep a five-point advantage going into the break, taking a 51-47 lead to close the half.
Despite tying the score 51-51 in the early minutes of the third, the Wolfpack could not manage to gain a lead over the Clan, as SFU took at 71-64 lead after three quarters. TRU would challenge again with a 6-0 run to open the fourth, bringing them within one point before the Clan began to pull away. A big dunk by Greg Wallis (Victoria, B.C.), followed by back-to-back threes by Kuzminski and Frank Bradley (Bedford Heights, OH), fuelled the Clan in the final minutes as they extended their lead to win the game 97-83.
Burke had an outstanding game for the Clan, earning the first triple-double of his career, which featured a game high of 27 points, 12 assists, and 11 rebounds. Eric Burrell (Surrey, BC) and Kuzminski also had big games for SFU, contributing ten points each in the victory.
Burke finished the night with 27 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds, as the Clan improve their record to 6-5 on the year, while TRU falls to 2-10.
High scorers for TRU were George Aramide(2nd year, forward, London, UK) and Drew Bleth( 4th year, guard, Ridgefield, Wash), who each had 16 points on the night. “ George was outstanding,” said Gillespie. “ He did a great job scoring wise and made some key defensive rebounds. We also got some good performances from the guys off the bench. They gave us a chance to win.”
Both SFU and the WolfPack now enter their exam break, Canada West league play resumes on January 2. The WolfPack will play two games between Christmas and New Years. They will take on Whitman and Columbia Basin Colleges on December 28 th and 29 th.
(with assistance of SFU Sports Information)