NAMPA, Idaho – Northwest Nazarene men's basketball held on for a 73-68 victory over a pesky Simon Fraser squad on Saturday to sweep their opening weekend of conference play.
The Nighthawks improve to 6-1 on the year and make it 2-0 in the GNAC, staking an early lead in the conference standings.
NNU started well, scoring 25 points in the first eight minutes of action to take a 25-15 lead. The Red Leafs battled back over the rest of the half, however, cutting NNU's lead to six, 39- 33, at the break.
The Nighthawks were once again able to get off to a good start to a period, extending their advantage back up to 13, 58-45, with 11:10 to play.
A relentless full-court press by Simon Fraser started to cause issues for NNU later in the second half, though, and the Red Leafs chipped away and ultimately cut the Nighthawks' lead to just three, 71-68, with 29 seconds remaining.
After an NNU turnover with 20 seconds left, SFU had a chance to tie it but missed a three-point attempt, and
Sullivan Menard iced the game with a pair of free throws.
The Nighthawks were dominant on the boards, holding a 47-27 rebounding advantage that included a 23-8 mark on the offensive end.
Four Nighthawks were in double figures, led by
Kye Dickson with 13 points along with five rebounds.
Yaru Harvey and
Sullivan Menard each had 12, while
Zane Foster added 10.
Briggs Ranstrom led the team with 11 rebounds, including five offensively, and registered four assists. Menard pulled down eight boards as well, while Harvey had five assists.
NNU will take a few days off for finals next week before perennial Division II powerhouse Northwest Missouri State comes to town on Saturday, Dec. 14. The Bearcats, who have won four of the last seven national championships, will square off with the Nighthawks at 7:00 p.m. in the Johnson Sports Center.
