By Howard Tsumura
VarsityLetters.ca
BURNABY MOUNTAIN — Two nights after letting a 14-point second-half lead slip through their fingers, the Simon Fraser Red Leafs proved to themselves what a difference a full 40 minutes of on-court togetherness can mean.
Rookie forward Sartaj Bhangu equalled his own career-high with 16 points and also grabbed set a new career-high in rebounds with a game-high 13 as the Red Leafs (3-12) avenged Thursday’s 81-73 loss to GNAC-leading St. Martins with a decisive 79-62 victory over the visiting Western Oregon Wolves (4-10) that snapped a nine-game losing streak, all conference defeats, Saturday night at the West Gym.
“I think our whole team just wants to show character in the face of adversity,” said head coach Barnaby Craddock of winning for the first time since dropping a 72-69 overtime decision to Seattle Pacific back on Jan. 8.
“It’s been a tough season,” admitted Craddock, in his first season at the helm of the Red Leafs. “You know, we’ve had injuries, and it’s a tough league, and we’ve had some results go against us. So what are we made of? Are we gonna quit? Are we gonna show character and support each other and play the game the right way? So the guys should be proud. They did that tonight and got a result to reward them for it.”
Simon Fraser’s intensity was evident off the opening tip in a game they led wire-to-wire and by as many as 28 points when senior post Zach Stone scored off a lay-in just 11 seconds into the second half.
The Red Leafs shot a blistering 52 per cent from the field (16-of-31) and even higher 55 per cent from three (6-of-11) over those first game-shaping minutes, all while never relenting on defence, frustrating the Wolves to the tune of just 24 per cent from the floor over the first 20 minutes of play.
After Thursday’s late collapse against St. Martin’s, how Craddock was going to address his team at the break.
Afterwards, junior guard Tate Christiansen’s response reflected the calm nature that he and his teammates digested the game plan, then took it onto the court against a Western Oregon team they knew was going to bring its best.
“We found a lot of success in just talking through all of their actions, and really putting a big emphasis on the boards,” said Christiansen, the North Vancouver-Handsworth product, who scored all 12 of his points in the first half on 5-of-7 shooting, including a pair of triples delivered at a 50 per cent clip. “Craddock) said to just keep doing what we’re doing. Don’t change the approach of the game just because we have a lead. Don’t try to play static. Keep letting the ball move, playing with good energy and rebounding, and talking through it.”
The Wolves indeed put together a rally, but never getting any closer than 16 points over that second half.
Stone was special for the winners with a team-high 20 points, not only hitting a triple with a second remaining in the first half to make it 44-18 at the break, but causing all kinds of match-up problems for Western Oregon in the paint with his bevy of post moves and his dynamic footwork.
Point guard Mikyle Malabuyoc had nine points, and eight assists against just two steals to go along with three steals in 36 minutes of play.
Junior Matthys Van Bylandt had five points and a career-best 10 rebounds, while freshman point guard Josiah Sutton performed well with seven points in 24 quality minutes off the bench, often times in tandem with Malabuyoc.
And Bhangu?
The former Tamanawis Wildcat from Surrey just continues to show that armed with his long-striding dribble-drive, his medium-to-long-range shooting game and his glass-crashing play, he is a player taking his first few steps on a climb to what may well be the upper rung of conference talent.
“He’s making a name for himself, he’s having a big freshman season and we could easily start him, but as a coach, I like to keep him humble, play him a bunch of minutes coming off the bench (22.9 mpg in GNAC play),” smiled Craddock of Bhangu who is averaging 10.0 points and 5.6 rebounds in conference play while shooting a team-high 45.7 per cent overall (tied for second place inter GNAC) from three-point range. “And you know, he deserves to get all the minutes he’s earned, and he’s having a fantastic freshman year.”
From his dunks, to his fadeaways, to his high shot release, his incredibly springy rebounding nature around the rim and his overall courage to court physical contact instead with a wiry frame that is just going to keep getting stronger has definitely made him a player to watch.
“We’ve been talking about that,” continued Craddock. “Like, potential is just a word. You need to go and earn it. You know, you need to earn that success, right? And I think that’s what he’s working at. He’s getting in the gym, he’s getting up shots. He’s working on that little Michael Jordan fadeaway. And, you know, once he starts to knock that in consistently, no one can really challenge him when he raises up to shoot that shot. So when that starts to go in, consistently here in the future of his career, lookout, he’s got a big future.”
For Christiansen’s part, the win solidified the fact that the team’s foundation has remained solid through tough times leading up to Thursday’s victory.
“You don’t wanna go on a (losing) streak like that, but I think the guys have done a great job of sticking together, focussing on controlling what they can control, you know, coming to practice with the right attitude, working hard, doing the right things, and taking the feedback that we get from Coach Craddock and staff, then trying to apply it.”
The preparations now begins for next week’s single game, a Saturday night clash with visiting Western Washington (6-9), who tonight bounced back from its Thursday loss to Western Oregon with its 90-81 win over St. Martins (11-3).
“Our guys have played hard all year, so that’s something,” said Craddock. “We’ve had some losses, but it’s never been for a lack of effort. I don’t think we’ve played the best basketball at times. So in general, it was just keeping the positive attitude. When you’re having a tough season, it’s easy to point fingers and quit in the face of adversity. Or instead, do you show character, step up, and you put your best foot forward? And that’s what the guys did tonight. You get rewarded for that.”
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