BURNABY, B.C. – The Simon Fraser men's basketball team lost 84-61 at Central Washington Tuesday in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference game, which was originally scheduled for New Year's Day in Ellensburg, Washington.
 
Guards Wilfried Balata and David Penney led SFU (8-5, 3-2 GNAC) in scoring with 13 points apiece. Balata, a junior, also grabbed a team-best nine rebounds. Senior forward Julian Roche contributed eight points, with six coming from a pair of three-point baskets.

SFU shot 38.6 per cent from the field (22 of 57), 30 per cent from beyond the three-point arc (6 of 20) and 64.7 per cent (11 of 17) on free throws.
 
Xavier Smith led the CWU offence, scoring 20 points. Three of his teammates also reached double digits.
 
SFU opened with the first six points of the contest, with baskets from Penney, junior guard Jahmal Wright, and Balata, before the host Wildcats responded with a 16-0 run.
 

CWU still led 20-10 lead midway through the opening half. Elliot Dimaculangan replied with a jump shot for the visitors. Then a couple of possessions later, the freshman guard stole the ball from CWU and found senior guard/forward Jordan Lyons, who converted the fast-break layup to get SFU to within six points at 20-14. Balata added a pair of baskets to cap off an 8-0 run. SFU was down just 20-18 with 7:26 to go in the first half.
 
However, the home side was able to rebuild its lead in the final minutes before halftime, and David Thompson's jumper near end of the half gave the Wildcats a 38-26 advantage at the break.
 
A pair of Lyons free throws cut the SFU deficit to 49-41 with 13:40 left in the game, but the team didn't get any closer the rest of the way. SFU was behind 51-42 when Central Washington put the game out of reach with an extended 18-5 surge.
 
The Wildcats shot 55.7 per cent from the field (34 of 61), despite hitting just four of 14 long-range shots (28.6 per cent). They were good on 85.7 per cent of their attempts from the foul line (12 of 14). CWU scored 30 points off turnovers, compared to SFU's seven.

The teams will conduct a rematch on Thursday at the West Gym. The opening tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. On Saturday, SFU will host Northwest Nazarene at 7 p.m.
 
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