Grand Junction, CO – In their first match of the Holiday Inn – Airport Thanksgiving Classic, the Simon Fraser University women's basketball team fell 84-76 to nationally ranked Colorado Mesa on Friday evening.
 

The Clan's leading duo of Erin Chambers (Mission, BC) and Meg Wilson continued to shine as the pair combined for 41 points leading all players on the floor, but were unable to propel their team to victory.
 

Wilson had a game-high 23 points while also recording six rebounds and three assists, while Chambers added 18 points, five rebounds and one assist. Redshirt-freshman Elisa Homer (North Vancouver, BC) continued to build momentum as well, adding 12 points to the Clan' campaign.
 

"We were out-worked at crucial times," said head coach Bruce Langford. "We gave up too many rebounds, and put ourselves in foul trouble early which made things difficult."
 

The No. 16 Mavericks struck first as a Laurel Kasel layup put the home team up 2-0 to start the game, but the Clan responded quickly as Chambers tied the game with her first basket of the night.
 

This pattern continued for the first portion of the half, as the teams traded baskets through the first 20-minutes of action, both sides looking to break free of the other.
 

Simon Fraser took a 12-7 lead early in the game, but was unable to extend it, as the Colorado Mesa squad quickly stormed through to a 29-18 lead at the midway mark of the period.
 

A Chambers jumper with 8:31 remaining broke the Clan's dry-spell as SFU was able to press through their deficit and end the half trailing by a single possession, 43-40.
 

"We were down by quite a bit in the first, but the girls maintained their composure and fought their way back and built off that momentum in the second half," Langford continued. "Unfortunately we gave up a couple back-to-back three pointers, which allowed them a crucial lead."
 

In the second, the Clan started strong, but struggled to pull ahead of their nationally ranked opponents, falling behind 77-68 with four minutes left on the clock.
 

A Wilson three-pointer at 3:52 gave the Simon Fraser the momentum they needed to stage a come-back, as she and Chambers combined for another five-points, putting the Clan down 80-76 with 50-seconds remaining in the game.
 

The Mavericks, however, were able to maintain possession throughout the final minute, sinking a pair of free-throws and a lay-up on the game's final possession to secure their victory 84-76.
 

With the loss the Clan fall to 3-2 on the season, but they will have a chance to redeem themselves on Saturday night in their second and final game of the tournament where they will face Western Colorado State.
 

Tip-off against the Mountaineers is at 12:00 p.m. PST, and fans can tune into live stats at http://www.sidearmstats.com/coloradomesa/wbball/.