BURNABY, B.C. – The Simon Fraser women's basketball team's three-game winning streak came to an end Saturday night with a close 61-57 loss to the visiting Saint Martin's (Washington) Saints at the West Gym in Burnaby, B.C.
 
Junior guard / forward Jessica Wisotzki of Langley, B.C., scored 19 points and controlled five rebounds to lead the Red Leafs (6-5, 4-3 Great Northwest). Sophomore guard Sophia Wisotzki (Langley, B.C.) contributed 13 points. Sophomore forward Gemma Cutler (North Vancouver, B.C.) blocked three shots, and grabbed seven rebounds to lead SFU in both categories.
 
Guard Anjel Galbraith recorded 18 points and eight rebounds for the SMU (5-10, 1-6 GNAC). Forward Chenoa Louie scored a career-high 16 points, while guard Lauryn Morris had 15.
 
"We're a three-point shooting team, and we made four threes," said SFU head coach Bruce Langford. "We're a 20-point-a-quarter team, and we had no 20-point quarters at all. We shot the ball extremely poorly, and I thought we turned it over at a couple of crucial times. I don't think our defence was terrible but we gave up some pretty easy baskets several times. But ultimately, it comes down to the offence. It was as inconsistent as it has been all year."
 

Saturday's Great Northwest Athletic Conference matchup featured 16 lead changes, and was tied on another 13 occasions. In a remarkable start, neither side led by more than three points in the opening half, which ended with Saint Martin's ahead 35-32.
 
The Saints were up by a point – 46-45 – after three quarters. Up to that moment, the biggest gap had been four points, when SMU's Kiana Rios made three-point basket from the top of the semicircle with 1:27 left in the third quarter for a 46-42 advantage.
 
The Saints posted the first eight points of the fourth to push ahead 54-45 with just over seven minutes left in regulation. The Red Leafs answered back immediately with a three from sophomore guard Arman Dulai of Surrey, B.C. She added another basket midway through the fourth to start a 7-0 run – the biggest for SFU in the entire game – that got the home side back within a point. A layup by junior guard Grace Killins (Coquitlam, B.C.) was followed by a defensive stop and a pair of Sophia Wisotzki free throws. With two and a half minutes left, Killins made a foul shot to shave SMU's lead to 56-55.
 
The Saints scored a layup on the next play, before Killins eventually replied back with one of her own with about a minute to play. However, the Red Leafs were unable to produce any points the rest of the way.
 
Neither team had a scoring run longer than four-consecutive points in opening half.
 
The Red Leafs made 19 of 51 field goal attempts for 37.3 per cent efficiency, and went 15-for-21 at the foul line. The Saints shot 40.8 per cent (20 of 49) from the field, and 77.3 per cent (17-22) on free throws. Both teams were successful on four of 17 shots from long distance (23.5 per cent).
 
SFU's next four games are on the road, with contests Thursday (at Montana State Billings, 6 p.m. PT) and Saturday (at Seattle Pacific, 4:15 p.m.). After an Alaska road trip the week after, the Red Leafs will return home to face Central Washington on Feb. 2.
 
HOME GAME TICKET LINKS:
Feb. 2: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/sfu-womens-basketball-vs-central-washington-university-tickets-451194002407
Feb. 4: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/sfu-womens-basketball-vs-northwest-nazarene-university-tickets-451195777717
 
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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