Simon Fraser University moved into a share of third place in the Great Northwest conference with a pair of wins over Alaska schools last weekend.
The Clan came back from a 16-point deficit to defeat the University of Alaska Fairbanks 75-73 at home on Jan. 23.
SFU then swept their Alaskan visitors, getting by Anchorage 78-74 on Saturday to leapfrog its opponent into third place.
“We came out really strong. We knew (Anchorage) was going to pressure the heck out of us, and I think we handled it well,” said SFU senior point guard Marie-Line Petit in a school press release. “We knew they were going to get after us and we had to go to the ball and not wait for it.”
Petit finished game Saturday with 10 points, seven assists and six rebounds.
Erin Chambers, the leading scorer in conference play this season, led the Clan in both wins, putting up 30 points in the win over Fairbanks before netting a game-high 34, including four key foul shots in the final minute, in the win over Anchorage.
Against Anchorage, SFU jumped out to a 21-10 advantage but let the lead slip away before Ariana Sider came off the bench with a three-pointer that woke up the Clan offence.
SFU held on to its half-time lead until Anchorage took its first lead of the game 71-69 with less than two minutes left to play.
A three-point play by Chambers helped SFU regain the lead, as the Clan junior scored nine of the team’s final 11 points to hang on the victory.
Against Fairbanks, Meg Wilson helped out with 23 points, including a pair of last-minute free throws, and 10 rebounds for SFU.
After a poor shooting percentage in the first half, SFU shot 62.5 per cent in the second period, including 50 per cent from beyond the arc.
The weekend wins over Alaska was the first conference sweep for the Clan this season.
“We can’t lose any home games because that is what is going to help up make the playoffs,” said Petit.
The Clan women are back at home against co-third place Seattle Pacific on Thursday. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
