BURNABY, B.C. – The Simon Fraser men's basketball team rebounded from Saturday's loss at Saint Martin's (Wash.) with an exciting 79-76 win over Alaska Tuesday afternoon at the West Gym in Burnaby, B.C.
 
The triumph improved SFU's record to 7-4 overall. With a 2-1 mark in Great Northwest Athletic Conference contests, the team currently sits in a four-way tie for first place in the league standings based on winning percentage.
 
"It was great to get back on the court after a tough one Saturday night," said SFU head coach Steve Hanson. "I felt we did some good things Saturday night, but with several players coming out of isolation and quarantine, rust was expected and evident. I am really happy with the way we battled this game. Not a lot of calls went our way and I was happy the way the team tried to control what they can control – specifically their effort and attitude. 
 
"With players coming in and out of the line-up, offensive chemistry is constantly changing and this will serve us well down the road.  We are versatile, but you need to play and get those game reps in to know what you have as a team. Jahmal Wright – with his length – did a very good job on Shadeed Shabazz, who is the type of offensive player that can take over a game. However, Jahmal is a tough guy to shoot over with his arm span. Nice to see us hit some threes tonight. We have been struggling from deep, but going 9 for 21 today is where we want to be each night. It was a gutsy win for our team."
 
Junior guard Wilfried Balata had a big day, posting 18 points, 15 rebounds (one off his career high) and five assists for the home side. Senior forward Julian Roche was a force all over the floor, recording a career-best five blocks along with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Junior wing Jahmal Wright had 12 points as well, while sophomore guard David Penney tied Balata for the team high in assists with five.

Shadeed Shabazz paced the Alaska offence with 28 points.
 

SFU was ahead for most of the day but needed to respond late when Alaska took the lead in the final three minutes. Quin Barnard hit a three to give the visitors a 74-73 edge with 2:38 left in the fourth quarter, wiping out a 71-62 deficit earlier in the period.
 
SFU came down the floor and Roche fed the ball inside to Balata. He drew a foul and made the two ensuing free throws to put the squad back on top 75-74 with 2:15 to go. The hosts forced a miss on Alaska's next possession before Roche knocked in a rebound with just over a minute and a half left to make the score 77-74.

Shabazz answered with a layup but it was the last score of the game for Alaska. SFU was stopped on the next play, but forced an Alaska turnover with 37 seconds on the clock. Back in control of the ball, SFU ran down the clock and got a good look on a jumper from the middle of the paint. The shot missed but Balata grabbed a crucial offensive rebound to seal the game. He was fouled and made both shots from the line to round out the scoring at 79-76.

SFU went 9 for 9 on free throws in the second half, including a half dozen in the final three minutes.
 
Canada's NCAA program had an excellent start to the second half, building on its 40-36 mid-game lead. Back-to-back Roche baskets, including a dunk, and a three-point shot from guard Josiah Mastandrea gave SFU its biggest lead of the game at 55-44 with just under 13 minutes remaining. Alaska posted a 10-3 run in response.
 
SFU went back to Mastandrea, who rewarded his team with a rare four-point play with midway through the half. He nailed a triple from in front of his bench and was then fouled. The senior converted the free throw to stretch the gap to 62-54. Wright slammed home a couple of dunks to maintain the home squad's healthy lead at 67-58 and 69-60.
 

The opening half was closely contested, with seven points being the largest gap between the sides.
 
The hosts went up 9-3 inside the first five minutes thanks to a long-distance shot from freshman guard Elliot Dimaculangan. Alaska scored seven-consecutive points to move ahead before Balata took over.
 
SFU was down 22-18 with 7:44 to go before halftime. Balata then recorded his team's next 10 points (a three, a layup, a three, and a layup) to restore his team's advantage at 28-24.
 
SFU shot 42 per cent (29 of 69) from the field, 42.9 per cent from long range (9 of 21) and 85.7 per cent from the foul line (12 of 14).
 
Alaska had similar numbers, going 43.3 per cent from the field (26 of 60), 43.8 per cent on three-pointers (7 of 16) and 85 per cent (17 of 20) on free throws.
 
SFU's next game will be on Saturday, Jan. 22 against Seattle Pacific. It will take place at 7 p.m. at the West Gym in Burnaby, B.C. Thursday's SFU-Montana State Billings contest has been postponed. No makeup date has been announced.

Follow SFU Athletics on Twitter and on Instagram @SFU_Athletics.

--@SFU_Athletics--