Box Score

BURNABY, British Columbia – No lead is safe against the highest-scoring team in the nation, much to the Crusaders chagrin.

The Northwest Nazarene men's basketball team managed to slow down host Simon Fraser, but just not quite enough as the Clan erased a 16-point NNU advantage en route to a 92-88 victory over the Crusaders on Thursday night in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action Thursday action.

NNU (10-13, 8-5 GNAC) came out as the high-scoring squad, building a 22-7 lead 6 minutes into the game on an Alex Birketoft bucket, and forging a 42-26 advantage on a Matyas Hering fast-break dunk with 6 minutes until halftime.

But that 16-point lead quickly shrank against the Clan (10-12, 5-9), who closed to within four down with a minute until halftime and eventually built their own lead, up 60-52 with 4 minutes gone in the final stanza.

NNU, which could have clinched a spot in the six-team GNAC playoffs with a victory over the Clan, looked poised to do just that as a Kevin Rima bucket with 2 minutes left to play put the Crusaders in control, on top 87-84.

The Clan battled back, though, tying it 88-88 on a Sango Niang bucket, then a technical foul against the Crusaders in the final 30 seconds snapped the tie as Niang tossing in both freebies.

One more Niang free throw on the ensuing possession after the technical helped the Clan ice the win.

Rima led the Crusaders with his 15^th career double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbing 16 rebounds. The senior post moved within four points of becoming the 35^th NNU men's basketball player to record 1,000 points in his career.

Birketoft added 17 points and 11 boards, Erik Kinney chipped in 16 points, seven rebounds and five steals and Hering scored 11 in the setback for NNU, which next plays at Western Washington on Saturday night.