Rory Blanche's 26 points were too much for Simon Fraser University to overcome as the Clan fell to the Western Washington Vikings, 87-73 on Saturday in the West Gym.
The Clan dressed just eight players as three of the team members were forced to sit due to academic issues.
"We're going to have to learn to play small," said Clan guard John Bantock after the game. "There's always going to be injuries and other things that prevent us from having a full line up. We played well in the first half so it shows were capable of filling holes."
Bantock had nine points for the Clan, all coming off three pointers as the sophomore went three-for-three from downtown.
Justin Brown led the Clan with 19 points, while Connor Lewis added 16 and Jordan Sergent chipped in with 12.
The beginning of the game was a back and forth affair until Bantock drained two consecutive three-pointers at the 13:48 mark to give the Clan the lead which they would hold for most of the first half.
SFU's excellent shooting continued throughout the first half with a 48 percent field goal percentage and a 60 percent mark from beyond the three-point line.
The all-around strong shooting performance from SFU resulted in a 40-36 halftime lead for the Clan.
SFU struggled in the second half as Western Washington had a 14-point run midway through the second half that gave them a 64-52 lead
SFU roared back with an 11-point run of their own that featured some big three-point shots from Brown and Lewis. But Western Washington was able to hang on for the victory.
The loss drops SFU's record to 5-6 and their Great Northwest Athletic Conference record to 0-3.
The Clan will be back in action on their home court on Thursday when they host the Western Oregon Wolves at 7 p.m. before hosting the Saint Martin's Saints on Saturday at 2 p.m.
