BURNABY, B.C. – The Simon Fraser Red Leafs men's basketball team wrapped up the Hoops in Hawaii Holiday Classic, presented by Outrigger Resort and Hotels, with a 74-69 win Monday night in Honolulu, holding off a comeback attempt by Chaminade (Hawaii).

For the second-consecutive game, forward Georges Lefebvre led SFU (5-6, 0-1 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) in scoring, recording 17 points to tie his single-game season high. He made eight of 11 shots from the field, and also grabbed five rebounds. The sophomore from Montreal earned a spot on the all-tournament first team at the conclusion of the event.

Sophomore guard Elliot Dimaculangan of Mississauga, Ont., had 12 points, four assists and a pair of steals for the Red Leafs, while junior guard David Penney registered 10 points and four assists. Freshmen Immanuel Oludele (guard / forward, Niagara Falls, Ont.) and Zach Stone (forward, Ottawa) had eight rebounds each.

Ross Reeves led the Silverswords (5-7, 1-4 PacWest) with 20 points.

SFU led the entire game, and carried a 69-61 advantage with two minutes left after a Penney three. Chaminade cut the gap to three points, 70-67 and 72-69, twice inside the final 32 seconds. However, Penney hit both free throws on the ensuing possessions after getting fouled to help clinch the victory for Canada's NCAA Team. 

"Great to finish off the tournament with a big win over a Chaminade team that was undefeated and playing at a high level," said SFU head coach Steve Hanson, whose squad also beat Hawaii Pacific on Saturday. "This game was a first in that we led from start to finish and did a great job controlling the defensive glass. 

"For our young team, learning how to close out tight games and win at the free throw line is crucial. We took good care of the ball and hit our free throws. It was great to finish off the Hoops in Hawaii Classic with a 2-1 record and go into Christmas break with two important West Region wins."

The Red Leafs were up 37-30 at halftime, and held off every surge by the Silverswords, who were 2-0 in the tournament coming into Monday's matchup, and coming off an overtime triumph over nationally ranked Saint Martin's (Washington), a GNAC rival of SFU. 

The Silverswords cut their deficit to 40-35 less than two minutes into the second half, but SFU scored the next five points – on a Dimaculangan steal and slam dunk, and a Penney three-point basket – to push its advantage back to double digits at 45-35. A Stone dunk with 14:12 to go made the score 49-38.

Chaminade got to within four points again, 49-45, with a 7-0 run, but freshman guard Jimmy Zaborniak (Burnaby, B.C.) immediately replied with a jump shot on next play. Then about a minute later, sophomore Red Leafs forward Victor Radocaj blocked a shot, and eventually got the ball back on the other end of the court to deliver a dunk that increased the gap to 53-45. The team led 61-51 after a pair of Stone free throws at 5:12.
 

Lefebvre (eight) and senior guard / forward Jahmal Wright of Toronto (six) combined to post the Red Leafs' first 14 points of the game. Wright's dunk with just over 14 minutes to go in the half made it 14-6; it was the first basket of a 10-0 run that pushed SFU's lead to 22-6. The team followed up the dunk with a Zaborniak three, a Dimaculangan layup and a Dimaculangan triple at 12:23 to go up 16 points. SFU also led 29-13 in the opening period. 

The Silverswords, essentially one of the home teams at the tournament, closed to 35-28 with 1:15 before the halftime break.

The Red Leafs made exactly half of their 60 field-goal attempts, including 7 of 24 from beyond the three-point arc (29.2 per cent). They were 7 of 11 (63.6 per cent) on foul shots. SFU held Chaminade to 39.3 per cent shooting from the field (24-61) and 36.4 per cent (8-22) efficiency on long-distance opportunities. The Silverswords' 69 points tied a regular-season low.

The Red Leafs had a 41-30 edge in rebounds and outscored their opponents 38-28 in the paint.

SFU will be back in action after Christmas with a Dec. 29 conference game at Saint Martin's (Washington) (7 p.m.) and a New Year's Eve appearance at Western Oregon (2 p.m.). The next home dates for the team are Jan. 5 and 7. Single-game tickets can be purchased online at: https://www.eventbrite.ca/o/sfu-athletics-17612353468

For the latest information on SFU Athletics, visit athletics.sfu.ca. You can also find us on social media at @SFU_Athletics.
 
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