BURNABY, B.C. – The SFU Red Leafs (2-7) fell to nationally ranked Metro State of Denver (6-0) by a score of 88-59 Saturday in the finale of the Thanksgiving Classic men's basketball tournament. The Roadrunners are 15th in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches NCAA Division II rankings and 18th in the D2CSC Poll.
The Red Leafs were outmatched by the Roadrunners' length and athleticism on defence, as SFU shot 18 of 61 (29.5 per cent) from the field overall.
David Penney, a senior guard from Guelph, Ont., led SFU in scoring with 13 points, while sophomore forward
Georges Lefebvre of Montreal (11) and junior guard
Elliot Dimaculangan of Mississauga, Ont. (10 points, seven rebounds) also made impacts on the attacking end of the court.
The Roadrunners out-rebounded SFU 41-22. MSUD's junior forward Caleb McGill led the way for the hosts, posting 25 points on 8 of 13 shooting, adding six boards and two blocks.
SFU trailed 37-28 at the break. The Red Leafs responded to a game-opening 7-0 deficit with a 7-0 run of their own. A foul shot by freshman forward
Matthys Van Bylandt (North Vancouver, B.C.) was followed by three-point baskets from Dimaculangan and freshman guard
Irish Coquia (Vancouver). It remained a two-possession game for most of the half, with a pair of Lefebvre foul shots giving the Red Leafs a 23-22 advantage with less than four minutes remaining.
However, the Roadrunners went on a 15-3 run before a Penney jump shot concluded the opening 20 minutes of action.
Georges Lefebvre. Photo by Gordon Kalisch / Fast Track Sports Photography
MSU Denver started the second half with a 7-0 run to stretch its lead to 16 points, 44-28. SFU cut the gap to seven, 48-41 and 50-43, on two occasions after that, but could not get any closer.
The Red Leafs will start their Great Northern Athletic Conference campaign next week. Heading down to Bellingham, Washington, SFU will take on the Western Washington Vikings on Saturday, December 2. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. at WWU's Carver Gym.
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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