BURNABY, B.C. — Bruce Langford was more than ready to recite the post-game laundry list of categories in which the Simon Fraser Red Leafs out-performed Los Angeles' visiting Biola Eagles in a home-court non-conference appearance Tuesday in the West Gym.
 
"We keep track of deflections, and we had 44 of them tonight," the Red Leafs' head coach began. "We took 14 more shots than they did (64-50), we had 18 points off turnovers and they had 10."
 
Langford didn't even get around to his team's 10 fewer total turnovers and its decisive 32-12 advantage in bench scoring.
 
But in what was a 69-63 loss to the Eagles (4-3), one which snapped the Red Leafs' impressive non-conference win streak at seven games, none of that stuff really mattered.
 
And for one big reason.
 
In its 11th and final non-conference game before the start of conference play, SFU (7-4) simply could not do the one thing it has most prided itself on: Knock down the three-point shot.
 
"The only spot we didn't win was the three," Langford said, aware he was stating the obvious. "We shot it (well) right at the end, but before that we were under 20 per cent as a team."
 
Yes, that was Grace Killins (Coquitlam, B.C.), Jessica Wisotzki (Langley, B.C.) and Sophia Wisotzki (Langley, B.C.) all ripping the mesh with respective triples over the game's final 16 seconds, a span in which the Red Leafs found their mojo late with a 3-for-5 splurge from downtown.
 
Yet none of that was enough to make up for the hideous 4-for-26 outing from three-point range which immediately preceded it.
 
Yes, 4-for-26, or 15.4 per cent.
 
And despite all of that they were still in the game with a chance to win their eighth straight until the Eagles' Laila Walker hit a pair of free throws to make it 67-63 with four seconds remaining.
 
But that kind of three-point shooting was not going to happen very often, Langford was reminded.
 
"Well, you hope not, because when it does we look pretty bad," he said.
 
Was it that the team's collective legs were perhaps just a little jittery after playing six of their last seven away from home?
 
Or was it the collective pluck of the visiting Eagles, who were never without answers and seemed at times perfectly confident of the final outcome after carrying a one- or two-possession lead for virtually the entire second half?
 
"None of those shots were contested, they were all open looks," said Langford. "You live and die by the three, but tonight we died by the three."
 
Trailing 32-29 at the half, the Red Leafs came out of the break with its starting five on the floor, and promptly gave up the first two baskets, the second putting them in a 37-29 hole.
 
So just 40 seconds in, Langford pulled the entire group and surrounded top sixth-player Killins, a senior, with reserves Arman Dulai (junior, Surrey, B.C.), Lainey Shelvey (sophomore, Langley, B.C.), and pure freshmen Rachel Loukes (Prince George, B.C.) and Natalie Curley (Mission, B.C.).
 

 The results?
 
The group stayed on the floor until 1:50 remained in the third quarter, and more than the fact that the Red Leafs trailed only 47-46 when the starters subbed back in was the unmistakable energy the second unit brought to the floor.
 
In fact, the feeling was palpable.
 
"We have a bunch of new rookies and we've worked really well together," agreed Killins, who led the bench with 10 points. "The team chemistry on and off the court has gone really well, and our seven-game win streak was a great morale push. We'll get it back Saturday."
 
That, of course, is when SFU travels to Bellingham for its 7 p.m. GNAC opener at Carver Gym against the Western Washington Vikings.
 
While Tuesday's loss put a slight damper on the build-up to the weekend, the positive that came out of it was the bench's ability to show itself as a self-sustaining group capable of dictating games on its terms.
 
Shelvey had nine points, Dulai six, Loukes five and the 6-foot-2 post Curley two points, two blocks, a steal and a rebound.
 
Jessica Wisotzki led the Red Leafs with 15 points, while Gemma Cutler (North Vancouver, B.C.) had 12 points and a game-high eight rebounds.
 
Biola, which shot 50 per cent from the field, got a game-high 18 points from lead guard Walker and 16 more from forward Jessa Thurman.
 
"After the game, I told them we had many outstanding pieces and we won many of the pieces that we wanted to win," summed Langford, "but the fact is when you don't shoot the ball well, you can't beat people."

For the latest information on SFU Athletics, visit athletics.sfu.ca. You can also find us on social media at @SFU_Athletics.

#RepTheLeaf