LANGLEY, B.C. — As long as they don't come at crucial times of the season, there's a feeling in basketball circles that you just have to live with nights like the one the Simon Fraser men's basketball team forced themselves to endure on Sunday night.
 
They're a part of the game.
 
Yet the Red Leafs' lopsided 86-54 loss to the St. Edwards Hilltoppers of Austin, Texas, on the final day of the CCA Division II Canadian Tip-Off Classic at the Langley Events Centre featured so many giveaways by the home team that head coach Steve Hanson was clearly losing count on what many will call one of the game's most hideous stats.
 
"Their energy was good, ours wasn't," summed Hanson after the loss kept the Red Leafs winless at 0-3 over the three-day event. "So many turnovers. It's uncharacteristic of us. We've been higher than we want… 12, 14. But I think we had 20 (turnovers) at the half. It's tough to score when you keep giving the other team the ball. Simple as that."
 
In actuality, SFU had 15 turnovers at halftime, and a gaudy 27 at the final buzzer.
 
Yet despite his miscount, Hanson's observations were spot on.
 
The Hilltoppers outscored the Red Leafs 34-9 in points off turnovers, turning a 37-22 halftime lead into a 32-point blowout win in a game in which both teams cleared their benches over the final few minutes of play.
 

"It's tough after tonight," said Hanson softly. "I thought we were hungry after letting two slip away Friday (against Hawaii Hilo) and Saturday (against Daemen (N.Y.)), but St. Edwards is very good. We played them last season in Hawaii and lost by 10 (76-66). They are just a very tough team and when you are sloppy with the ball… we just fed into their energy once we started turning it over. They started to get hungry and we kinda packed the tent. It was a little bit of an embarrassing effort by us."

Whatever the reasons for the severity of the loss — it was more decisive than any suffered by SFU against NCAA Div. II competition last season — the opportunity to put it behind them comes quickly.
 
SFU will play both Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State, Dominguez Hills on Friday and Saturday respectively at the West Region Crossover in Arcata, California.
 
Sean Elkinton, a 6-foot-8 sophomore forward, tortured the Red Leafs inside and out, scoring a game-high 28 points in just over 27 minutes of floor time. Guards Gavino Ramos and Jeff Gary added 11 points each while forward Jamison Kay came off the bench to score 10.
 
Despite the severity of the loss, SFU was able to expand on the nine-man rotation it had employed over the first two games as 11 of the 12 players who hit the floor were able to score.
 
The redshirt freshman pair of guards Tate Christiansen and Matthys Van Bylandt, both hailing from North Vancouver's Handsworth Royals high school program, had gone pointless over the first two games.
 

 
On Sunday, they enjoyed breakouts as Christiansen hit four baskets and finished with a game-high 11 points, while Van Bylandt finished with seven points and a pair of steals.
 
Forward Nigel Hylton (Toronto) came off the bench to add eight points. Pure freshman guard Irish Coquia (Vancouver) followed up his 17-point effort Saturday against Daemen with five points. Junior guard Elliot Dimaculangan (Mississauga, Ont.) finished with seven assists and two steals.
 
Former Burnaby South star post Sasha Vujisic (Burnaby, B.C.) made his NCAA debut and finished with four points, three rebounds and a block in seven minutes of floor time. 
 
"Sasha's had a nagging foot injury the last two months but he's getting there," Hanson said. "He is a great presence. He sets great screens and when we play certain teams, he is going to be able to match up very well."
 
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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