BURNABY, B.C. – The Simon Fraser women's basketball team couldn't complete a fourth-quarter comeback at Seattle Pacific Saturday, losing 64-53 to the Falcons at Royal Brougham Pavilion.
 
The Red Leafs (6-7, 4-5 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) were down a dozen points in the final quarter before cutting their deficit to three. SPU (11-6, 6-3 GNAC) made a pair of foul shots to lead 48-36 with just over eight minutes remaining. The Falcons' advantage was at 53-42 with less than six minutes to go.
 
Then senior guard Georgia Swant (North Vancouver, B.C.) hit an inside jump shot to kickstart an 11-3 run that lasted just over three minutes. Junior guard / forward Jessica Wisotzki (Langley, B.C.) converted a pair of foul shots before she made a jumper later in the quarter to cut the gap to 53-48. After an SPU triple, and a pair of free throws by sophomore SFU guard Sophia Wisotzki (Langley, B.C.), Jessica Wisotzki nailed a shot from the top of the three-point arc to bring the Red Leafs to within a possession at 56-53, with 2:34 left in the game.
 
The Falcons got the ball back, and immediately answered with a three of their own, from Anna Eddy. The Red Leafs were unable to find the basket after that as SPU added a layup and another three for the final margin of victory. The Falcons made five field goals in the final period, four were from long distance.
 
Jessica Wisotzki scored 20 points to lead SFU while Sophia Wisotzki contributed 13. Sophomore forward Gemma Cutler of North Vancouver, B.C., recorded four blocks, the most in the GNAC today, as well as a team-best seven rebounds. Cutler entered the game second in NCAA Division II in blocks per game. Her performance Saturday will likely move her into top spot (with 2.92 blocks / per outing) after the weekend.
 
SFU trailed 27-25 at the half. Jessica Wisotzki's layup to open the third quarter tied the score. Her three-pointer with 7:20 left in the third put her team in front 32-31. It was the Red Leafs' only lead of the second half, as the Falcons ended the period on a 14-2 run.
 
The home team was up 22-8 early in the second quarter, and was ahead 24-12 when SFU reeled off nine-consecutive points. The run began with a three from junior guard Grace Killins (Coquitlam, B.C.), followed by another from Jessica Wisotzki. Sophia Wisotzki made a jump shot before Jessica added a free throw with 3:55 remaining in the half to make the score 24-21.
 

Eddy, a guard, had a team-high 18 points for the Falcons, while guard Ashley Alter recorded 15 points and 12 rebounds, the most in the game.
 
SFU shot 36 per cent (18 of 50) from the field on Saturday, and 20.7 per cent (6 of 29) from three. It made 68.8 per cent (11 of 16) of its attempts from the free throw line.
 
Seattle Pacific converted 42.4 per cent (25-59) of its field goal chances, 46.2 per cent (6-13) of its shots from distance, and 80 per cent (8-10) of its foul shots. The Falcons outscored the Red Leafs 34-14 in the paint, and enjoyed a 37-29 advantage in rebounds.
 
Saturday's contest concluded the first half of GNAC league play. With a 4-5 record in conference games, the Red Leafs are in a three-way tie for fifth in the standings. The team will visit Alaska Anchorage and Alaska next weekend. SFU's next home contests will be on Feb. 2 (vs. Central Washington) and Feb. 4 (against Northwest Nazarene).
 
SINGLE-GAME TICKETS
Feb. 2 vs. Central Washington: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/sfu-womens-basketball-vs-central-washington-university-tickets-451194002407
Feb. 4 vs. Northwest Nazarene: 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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