BURNABY, B.C. – In a Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball game where neither team led by more than nine points, the Simon Fraser Red Leafs lost 64-62 to the Northwest Nazarene (Idaho) Nighthawks Thursday night in Burnaby, B.C.
 
SFU (6-12, 1-7 GNAC) fell despite a good shooting night from beyond the three-point arc, as it made 10 of 25 attempts (40 per cent) on the West Gym floor. Overall, the Red Leafs were 20 of 54 (37 per cent) on field goals, and 12-18 (66.7 per cent) on free throws.
 
"There were a lot of things in that game we got to learn from," remarked SFU head coach Steve Hanson. "We put in a little pressure earlier this week in practice and we got to use it tonight, which was good. We shot the ball okay, but we were just not very good at the rim. NNU protects the rim well, so we have to be better at getting to the paint and kicking the ball out. We did shoot well from three at 40 per cent.
 
"It was exactly how I thought it was going to be, a low-possession, grind-it-out type game. They just have a few more guys who have been in those situations than we do, so great minutes for Nigel Hylton and Jimmy Zaborniak to play in crucial moments. We just have to execute. It's tough to win in this conference and sometimes you have to gut it out before you earn a win. We were close, but we weren't good enough tonight."
 
Freshman guard Immanuel Oludele (Niagara Falls, Ont.) recorded 13 points, seven rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. He led the home side with a trio of three-point baskets.
 
Junior guard David Penney (Guelph, Ont.) provided the Red Leafs with 10 points. Senior guard / forward Jahmal Wright of Toronto grabbed a team-best 10 rebounds, and scored eight points as did sophomore guard Elliot Dimaculangan (Mississauga, Ont.) and freshman forward Nigel Hylton (Toronto). In addition to Oludele, three Red Leafs had a pair of blocks: Dimaculangan, Wright, and freshman forward Zach Stone (Ottawa).
 

Forward Gabriel Murphy recorded 16 points and nine rebounds to lead the Nighthawks (7-9, 4-4 GNAC) in both categories.
 
NNU led 62-56 inside the final minute after a Kobe Terashima layup. Oludele nailed a huge three-pointer from the left corner with 37 seconds on the clock to make it a one-possession matchup at 62-59. The Nighthawks went 1 of 2 at the foul line on the ensuing possession. The Red Leafs converted another three – this time by Wright with 3.7 seconds remaining – after grabbing a pair of offensive rebounds. After another NNU made free throw, SFU had only 1.1 seconds to tie or win the game, and last-gasp three-point attempt was off target, allowing the visitors to escape with the triumph.
 

Up 27-23 at the mid-game break, the Nighthawks recorded a three-point bucket to open the second half and lead 30-23. The seven-point advantage was the largest of the night for NNU, and the biggest gap between the teams in the final 20 minutes.
 
The Red Leafs answered back immediately with Oludele scoring a layup before posting a three on his team's next possession. A pair of Stone free throws tied the game at 30-30. With about 15 minutes left, Stone made a long-distance shot to give his team the lead for the first time in the second half. A Penney layup then stretched that margin to 37-32.
 
NNU went back on top, 48-47, on a Ryzin Bergersen triple. It was the start of a 9-2 run that allowed the Nighthawks to lead 54-49. The Red Leafs persevered to cut the gap to 56-54 on a Wright jumper.
 
SFU started Thursday's game with nine-consecutive points, which came on a Penney free throw, two from Dimaculangan, a long-distance basket from Penney, before a pull-up jumper from Dimaculangan. The Red Leafs were ahead for most of first half until a Murphy jumper put NNU in front 20-19 with just under six minutes on the clock.
 
The Nighthawks shot 45.6 per cent from the field (26-57), 27.3 per cent from long distance (3-11), and 60 per cent at the foul line (9-15).
 

SFU out-blocked NNU 9-4, while the visitors had a 44-16 advantage in points in the paint.

The Red Leafs will look to rebound Saturday, with a 7 p.m. contest at the West Gym against Central Washington. Tickets can be purchased online here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/sfu-mens-basketball-vs-central-washington-university-tickets-452157474177

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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