BURNABY, B.C. – The Simon Fraser Red Leafs men's basketball team battled hard against one of the leading Great Northwest Athletic Conference teams in Montana State Billings, but were ultimately defeated 73-52 by the Yellowjackets Saturday night at the West Gym in Burnaby, B.C.
 
The Red Leafs (5-10, 0-5 GNAC) were ahead 35-33 at halftime but could not overcome the visiting team's fantastic shooting performance. MSUB (12-4, 6-0 GNAC) made 14 of 24 three-point attempts (58.3 per cent) on Saturday.
 
"We're learning in a really hard way how to finish games and win," said SFU head coach Steve Hanson. "This was almost identical to what happened on Thursday night, except we were down at the half against SPU.
 
"Other teams have some veteran guys, and we're finding out who those guys are. When teams are hitting us on short runs, we don't have answers right now. It's a lack of leadership. It's a lack of veteran play in the GNAC. I'm not happy about it but sometimes you have to go through these really tough runs to figure things out. That's where we are right now. We have to be tougher. That was a winnable game tonight, there's no doubt about it. Kudos to MSUB, they played well in the second half."
 
Sophomore guard David Penney of Guelph, Ont., and freshman forward Nigel Hylton of Toronto scored 10 points apiece for SFU, which shot 35.8 per cent on field goals, converting 19 of 53. The hosts were good on six of 19 attempts from beyond the three-point line. Sophomore guard Elliot Dimaculangan (Mississauga, Ont.) recorded seven rebounds to lead the Red Leafs in that category for the second-consecutive contest. Canada's NCAA team won the rebounding battle by a count of 35-32.
 
Abdul Bah tied the GNAC single-game record for three-pointers made with no misses, after going perfect on all seven of his long-distance shots. Alaska's Brad Oleson (March 12, 2004 vs. California State Bakersfield) and Western Washington's John Allen (Feb. 10, 2011 vs. Alaska Anchorage) have also achieved this feat.
 
Bah finished Saturday's game with 23 points, going 8-for-12 overall from the field. Teammate Carrington Wiggins made eight of 11 shots (5-6 from three) to notch 21 points. The Yellowjackets' offence knocked down 27 of 56 field goal opportunities (48.2 per cent) and surrendered just four turnovers.

 
The Red Leafs posted the game's first seven points – on a layup from sophomore forward Georges Lefebvre (Montreal), a Hylton triple, and a jump shot from Dimaculangan – before MSUB replied with the next five. For the entire half, the teams went back and forth, with neither side able to build a double-digit lead.
 
A three from freshman guard Jimmy Zaborniak (Burnaby, B.C.) with less than eight minutes on the clock pushed the Red Leafs back in front by seven, 26-19. The final time SFU was up by seven came a couple of baskets and minutes later at 28-21. But a 12-2 run by the Yellowjackets – capped off by a Bah three with two minutes remaining in the half – gave them a 33-30 edge. The hosts answered back with five points in a row – all by Hylton – to end the half.
 
In the first eight minutes or so after the break, MSUB hit a handful of three-pointers to stretch its lead to 52-42. A subsequent dunk by sophomore forward Victor Radocaj (Richmond, B.C.) and a basket by Penney cut the gap to 52-46. However, the Yellowjackets wrapped up the triumph with a game-ending 21-6 surge.
 
The Red Leafs will head north next week for games Thursday at Alaska and Saturday at Alaska Anchorage. Both will have 8:30 p.m. PT tipoffs. The team will then have four-consecutive home games at the West Gym, beginning with a Jan. 19 matchup against Northwest Nazarene (Idaho), before Central Washington visits on Jan. 21. Tickets can be purchased online at: https://www.eventbrite.ca/o/sfu-athletics-17612353468

- with files from Jacob Lazare

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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