BURNABY, B.C. – In a defensive struggle to open Great Northwest Athletic Conference play for the 2023-24 NCAA women's basketball season, the SFU Red Leafs lost 64-57 at nationally ranked Western Washington Saturday night.
 
SFU (7-5, 0-1 GNAC) got 12 points each from non-starters Grace Killins, a senior guard from Coquitlam, B.C., and Rachel Loukes, a freshman guard from Prince George, B.C. It was the best performance of Loukes' brief collegiate career, as she also led the team by grabbing nine rebounds. She further contributed three assists, a block and a steal.
 
Senior guard/forward Jessica Wisotzki (Langley, B.C.) scored nine points and junior forward Gemma Cutler (North Vancouver, B.C.) blocked four shots and tallied six points.
 
The Vikings came into the game ranked 12th in the D2CSC Media Poll and 15th in the WBCA Coaches Poll. The win improved their record to 7-1 overall and 1-0 in GNAC play.
 
WWU stretched its 27-21 halftime advantage to 13 points midway through the third quarter.
 
Loukes made a layup with just over five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and then got a steal to give the Red Leafs the ball back. It eventually led to a Killins three that shaved the gap to 55-49. SFU didn't get any closer until the final seconds of the game, when sophomore guard Myrlaine Shelvey (Langley, B.C.) stole the ball and drove to the basket for a layup that made it 62-57 with 10 ticks on the clock. The Red Leafs fouled on the next possession but the Vikings converted both free throws to seal the win.
 

WWU led 9-4 to start the contest, before Loukes capped a low-scoring first quarter with a pair of layups, the latter of which was sparked by her block on a Vikings' three-point attempt.
 
The Red Leafs ran into foul trouble against the bigger host team in the second period. WWU went up by nine points on two different occasions in the second, but SFU kept the game close, with Killins nailing a long three-point shot on the last possession of the half. That basket cut the Vikings' lead to just six points.
 
SFU ended the game with a 40-31 advantage in rebounds, and recorded 15 offensive boards to WWU's seven. It was the first time the Vikings have been out-rebounded this season. The Red Leafs shot 34.8 per cent on field goals, making 24 of 69 attempts.
 
Brooke Walling posted a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds for WWU. She added five assists, three steals and two blocked shots in 33 minutes.
 
SFU will head back to California for its next two games. The Red Leafs will play at Sonoma State in Rohnert Park, California, on Dec. 18 (3 p.m.) and Dec. 19 (11 a.m.) in a pair of non-conference matchups.
 
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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