Box Score BURNABY, British Columbia – A strong second-half comeback wasn't enough to get the Crusaders over the hump Saturday afternoon in Canada.
Down 16 at the break, the Northwest Nazarene women's basketball team whittled away at host Simon Fraser's advantage only to fall 83-67 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action.
"Despite the disappointment of the loss, I continue to be encourage with the steps we're taking as a team," NNU head women's basketball coach
Ryan Bragdon said.
After an opening layup by
Ellie Logan gave the Crusaders a brief lead the Clan took control, building a 19-10 lead they stretched to 44-28 at halftime thanks to a 3-pointer by Elisa Homer just before time expired on the opening session.
"Today we didn't get far enough out on the shooters and that hurt us in the first half," Bragdon said. "Another thing that hurt us in the first half was that we just weren't finishing plays. I thought we were getting pretty good shots, but just didn't finish."
NNU (5-17, 3-10 GNAC) closed to 53-43 down on a
Kate Cryderman layup with 13 ½ minutes remaining, but the Clan (12-9, 8-5) managed to maintain a double-digit lead the rest of the way.
Twice
Taylor Simmons' lay-ins got the Crusaders to within 11 points, but Simon Fraser managed to thwart any more serious comeback threats.
"We had opportunities to cut into their lead in the second half, but Simon Fraser hit big shots every time we looked to make a push," Bragdon said.
Logan, a freshman, had the best game of her young collegiate career as she scored 29 points and added six rebounds and three steals for the Crusaders, who also got 10 points and six rebounds each from Simmons and
Lexi Tubbs.
NNU now returns home to host Montana State Billings on Thursday and Seattle Pacific on Saturday.
"Overall, we have a lot of positives from the weekend to bring back to Nampa to get us ready for a late-season run," NNU's coach said.
Saturday will be cancer awareness day and fans are encouraged to wear pink. There also will be a silent auction and pink ribbons for fans as the Crusaders raise money for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.
