BURNABY, B.C. – The Simon Fraser Red Leafs men's basketball team recorded season highs in steals (nine), free throws (21) and free throw attempts (27) in its 82-63 loss to Rogers State (Oklahoma) Monday in the opening game of the High Desert Classic in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Junior
Elliot Dimaculangan recorded 13 points and a pair of steals to lead the Red Leafs (2-9, 0-1 Great Northwest Athletic Conference). The guard from Mississauga, Ont., converted all six of his foul shots.
Immanuel Oludele, a sophomore guard/forward from Niagara Falls, Ont., contributed 11 points and three assists, which tied for most on the roster.
Senior guard
David Penney (Guelph, Ont.) had 10 points and a team-best three steals. Sophomore forward
Zach Stone of Ottawa came off the bench to grab six rebounds. Freshman
Matthys Van Bylandt of North Vancouver, B.C., posted two blocks, two steals, three assists and four rebounds.
Isaac Johnson scored 14 points to lead the Hillcats (5-4) of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.
Rogers State jumped out to a 9-2 advantage to start the game, before Dimaculangan and Stone each hit a pair of free throws to close the gap to 9-6. However, the Hillcats took control of the contest with an ensuing 14-0 stretch and eventually led 32-12 with about seven and a half minutes to go before halftime. SFU trailed 44-27 after the opening 20 minutes
Another good run of play by the Hillcats put them ahead 58-29 just over five minutes into the second half. The Red Leafs worked to cut their deficit, closing to 79-63 on a Van Bylandt jumper, followed by a foul shot by rookie forward
Tate Christiansen (North Vancouver, B.C.) with just over a minute left in the game.
SFU will close out the High Desert Classic and the 2023 calendar year on Tuesday (10 a.m.) at Desert Oasis High School against Colorado Mesa. The Mavericks of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference are eighth in the latest NCAA Division II coaches poll and 14th in the media rankings.
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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