BURNABY, B.C. -- Delivering one of the most remarkable second-half performances in program history, the SFU Red Leafs erased a 21-point deficit to come all the way back on Friday night, toppling the Cal Poly Humbolt Lumberjacks 83-75 and earning their first win of the 2023-24 season.

Down 37-21 at halftime of their first game at the West Region Crossover in Arcata, California, SFU (1-3) had been under siege by a very efficient Lumberjacks offence. After going 16-28 from the field in the first half, Cal Poly (0-1) seemed to continue that form after the break. A couple of clutch triples on the Lumberjacks' part and a turnaround jump shot from Pejan Slater stretched the home team's lead to 45-24.

However, SFU kept chipping away, as a couple threes from Elliot Dimaculangan (Mississauga, Ont.), some hard-fought layups from David Penney (Guelph, Ont.), and excellent team defence – saw the Red Leafs close the gap to 68-58 for Cal Poly.

Sophomore forward Nigel Hylton (Toronto), off the bench, book-ended the true turning point of the contest, as he kicked off the Red Leafs' 12-0 run in the fourth quarter with a thunderous dunk before capping it on a nifty little layup. With that, SFU regained their first lead since the game's opening minutes, now ahead 70-68.
 

Shortly after, sophomore forward Zach Stone (Ottawa) and Hylton notched back-to-back buckets to put SFU up 74-70.

After a Cal Poly free throw had made it just a one-score game again, Tate Christiansen (North Vancouver, B.C.) delivered an absolute dagger. With 1:44 to play, the redshirt freshman guard sunk a clutch three under pressure, putting SFU up 77-71.

With the clock winding down, Cal Poly was forced into fouling to try and regain possession. However, Penney, Stone, and Dimaculangan all stepped to the spot and buried two shots apiece.

Penney, the senior guard, wound up as SFU's leading scorer with 19 points. Junior guard Dimaculangan notched 18, shooting an impressive 7-10 from the field. Aside from Hylton (11 points, seven rebounds), SFU also got solid contributions from Stone (nine points) and both Immanuel Oludele (sophomore guard/forward, Niagara Falls, Ont.) and rookie guard Irish Coquia (Vancouver), who had eight points apiece.

The Red Leafs had an impressive shooting night, making 29 of 56 field goal attempts (51.8 per cent) overall, boosted by an incredible second half in which Canada's NCAA team converted an incredible 22 of 31 shots (71 per cent). SFU went 10-of-23 from behind the three-point line (43.5 per cent) in the game. 

The Red Leafs will be looking to carry their late-game momentum into tomorrow at the West Region Crossover tournament, as they're set to take on the California State Dominguez Hills Toros (0-1) at 5:30 p.m.

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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