BURNABY, B.C. – Senior guard David Penney (Guelph, Ont.) recorded season highs of 20 points and five assists to lead the SFU Red Leafs in the team's 96-74 defeat at Western Washington. Saturday's game in Bellingham, Washington, was the first Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball game of the 2023-24 NCAA season for both schools.
 
Junior forward Georges Lefebvre (Montreal) posted 17 points, five rebounds and a pair of blocks for SFU, while sophomore forward Zach Stone (Ottawa) had 12 points and a team-best seven rebounds. Coming off the bench, sophomore forward Sasha Vujisic (Burnaby, B.C.) made four of his six field goal attempts to record eight points. He had a team-high three blocks, and grabbed five rebounds, four of which were on the offensive end.
 
A layup and free throw by Lefebvre gave the Red Leafs an early 12-6 advantage but the host Vikings rallied with a 12-2 run. Neither team led by more than six points until late in the first half when WWU stretched its lead to 35-26 on a Nic Welp layup. A triple by sophomore guard/forward Immanuel Oludele (Niagara Falls, Ont.) on the next possession, and then an ensuing Penney basket, cut the gap to 37-33, before Darius Gary wrapped up the half with a three-pointer that put the Vikings up 40-33 at halftime.
 

WWU came out of the break strong and increased its lead to 49-37. SFU answered back right away with six points in a row, coming on a jump shot from Stone, a layup by Lefebvre, and a slam dunk by Stone. The Vikings grabbed the momentum back with seven straight points to go ahead 56-43. The Red Leafs were not able to cut that deficit into single digits the rest of the way.
 
SFU shot 46 per cent from the field (29 of 63), 14.3 per cent from beyond the three-point line (2-14) and 82.4 per cent on free throws (14-17).
 
The Red Leafs' next games will take place Dec. 18-19 at the High Desert Classic tournament in Las Vegas. On the 18th, SFU will play Rogers State (Oklahoma) before facing Colorado Mesa the next day.
 
The team will then host its home opener on Jan. 4 against Saint Martin's. Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/sfu-mens-basketball-vs-saint-martins-university-tickets-727789687547
 
Tickets for Jan. 6's SFU-Western Oregon game at the West Gym can be purchased at: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/sfu-mens-basketball-vs-western-oregon-university-tickets-727795876057
 
For the latest information on SFU Athletics, visit athletics.sfu.ca. You can also find us on social media at @SFU_Athletics.

#RepTheLeaf