BURNABY, B.C. – Freshman guard / forward Immanuel Oludele (Niagara Falls, Ont.) recorded 18 points and five rebounds in Simon Fraser's 72-65 loss to visiting Central Washington in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball game Saturday night at the West Gym in Burnaby, B.C.
 
Junior guard David Penney of Guelph, Ont., had 13 points, four assists and also grabbed five rebounds. Sophomore forward Victor Radocaj (Richmond, B.C.) blocked four shots. Georges Lefebvre, a sophomore forward from Montreal, and Jahmal Wright, a senior guard / forward from Toronto, also had five rebounds to share the lead for SFU (6-13, 1-8 GNAC).
 
"We shot a good percentage in the second half (46.7 per cent), and we should have shot more threes," said SFU head coach Steve Hanson, whose team made three of five attempts from distance in the second half. "They made us earn everything on the offensive end and they did some things that got some real easy looks. We track 'kills,' which is three-consecutive stops on the defensive end. We had four of those in the first half, and one in the second. You have a four-point lead, but it doesn't last when you give up easy hoops. We have to get better, keep watching the film, get back at it Monday, and get ready for Thursday.
 
"The process is there. We're learning on the fly. We talked post-game about the ability to make small adjustments. It's just young players not having gone through every action that another team runs. Experienced guys can adjust on the fly. It comes down to communication and we're learning the hard way."
 

Brock Gilbert handed out 11 assists for Central Washington (8-10, 4-5 GNAC), which had three double-digit scorers: Isaiah Banks (14 points), Matt Poquette (13), and Camron McNeil (10).
 
Gilbert's layup early in the second half gave the Wildcats a 40-36 edge. In response, the Red Leafs put together their longest scoring run of the day, an 8-0 surge courtesy of a fast-break Penney layup, an Oludele three-point basket, a Penney free throw, and a Lefebvre layup on a fast break. SFU led 44-40.
 
CWU went back on top – 53-51 – midway through the half on a Noah Pepper three-pointer, before a layup by sophomore guard Jovan Rai (Markham, Ont.) and an Oludele three gave the Red Leafs a 56-55 edge with just over eight minutes remaining. However, it was the last time in front for SFU. The Wildcats re-took the lead on the next possession, and steadily stretched the gap. They led 61-57 on a Samaad Hector layup with just over six minutes left on the clock. Then Poquette added two free throws after CWU earned a defensive stop.
 
Radocaj's basket cut the Red Leafs' deficit to 63-59 but that was close as the home team got. Two Gilbert foul shots with just over a minute to go put the win out of reach at 70-61.
 
Saturday's game saw only one instance of a team ahead by double digits. That came late in the first half when a Colby Gennett layup made the score 34-24 for CWU. Rai scored a three-point basket on the ensuing play for SFU. After a timeout, he stole the in-bounds pass and laid the ball into the hoop to make it 34-29. Radocaj then closed out the half-ending 7-0 run with a layup. The Wildcats led 34-31 at the break.
 
Coming off the bench to provide energy on both ends of the floor, Rai played a career-high 27 minutes on Saturday.
 
The Red Leafs shot 44.4 per cent (23 of 63) from the field, 35.3 per cent (6 of 17) on three-pointers, and 60 per cent (3 of 5) on free throws. SFU held the visitors to 3-for-15 shooting (20 per cent) at the three-point line. CWU made 29 of 56 field goal attempts (51.8 per cent), and 11 of 18 foul shots (61.1 per cent).
 
The Wildcats held a slight rebounding advantage of 34-33, and gave up fewer turnovers (11-13).
 
The Red Leafs will celebrate Filipino Heritage Night on Thursday, when they host the Western Oregon Wolves at 7 p.m. at the West Gym.


 
Vancouver's funkiest Filipino-inspired food brand, Shameless Buns, will serve delicious treats, DJ Danglez will be on music, Vancouver-born singer and actress Arielle Tuliao will perform anthems and Filipino dancers will entertain during the game. There will also be a giveaway of a special poster featuring Penney, Elliot Dimaculangan and Hunter Cruz-Dumont created by SFU student designer Julia Robledano.
 
On Saturday at the West Gym, SFU will challenge Saint Martin's (Washington) at 7 p.m.
 
LINKS TO TICKETS:
Jan. 26: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/sfu-mens-basketball-vs-western-oregon-university-tickets-452159710867
Jan. 28: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/sfu-mens-basketball-vs-saint-martins-university-tickets-452161215367
 
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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