BURNABY, B.C. – "I'll remember this night, this one's a special one."

Sophie Klassen summed up Saturday at the West Gym nicely.

The final home game for Simon Fraser women's basketball players Klassen, Emma Kramer and Georgia Swant was truly memorable. On Senior Night, when all three graduating athletes were celebrated for their contributions to the Red Leafs, SFU knocked off nationally ranked Montana State Billings 67-61.

The result ended an 11-game winning streak for the Yellowjackets, who entered the day 18th in the D2SIDA Women's Basketball Division II Media Poll and 20th in the Women's Coaches Basketball Association rankings.

The win also gave a big boost to the Red Leafs' post-season chances. There are currently four teams trying to clinch three spots to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Championships. Alaska Anchorage and Seattle Pacific are tied for fourth place in the league standings with 8-8 records. With Saturday's triumph, SFU (10-11 overall) improved to 8-9, a half-game ahead of Northwest Nazarene (Idaho) (7-9) for the sixth and final playoff spot.

Junior guard / forward Jessica Wisotzki (Langley, B.C.) led the Red Leafs with 29 points. Her seven rebounds tied for the team lead with Kramer, a guard from Surrey, B.C. Wisotzki found success on nine of her 15 field goals (60 per cent), including seven of 10 from three-point range.

Sophomore forward Gemma Cutler (North Vancouver, B.C.) recorded 10 points, five blocks and a half-dozen rebounds. Swant, a guard from North Vancouver, had nine points and six rebounds, along with four assists, which tied for most on the roster with sophomore guard Makenna Gardner (Langley, B.C.).
 

As a team, SFU shot 44.6 per cent (25 of 56 field goals) overall, an excellent 47.8 per cent from three (11-23), and 54.5 per cent at the foul line (6-11). The team also outrebounded the Yellowjackets 43-30.

Forward Taryn Shelley posted 19 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks to lead the MSUB (22-5, 13-3 GNAC) effort, which included just six turnovers.

"I thought the game showed we can play with the best teams when we all come with the effort we need to get it done," remarked SFU head coach Bruce Langford. "Georgia Swant came out on fire in the first half, leading the team in points. She was very, very good. There were so many good things tonight. Jessica Wisotzki was on fire from three, going 7 for 10. The whole team shot well, making 11 of 23. Our energy, our rebounding, right across the board, was extremely good. Gemma (Cutler) got herself in foul trouble, but was still able to block five shots, which is pretty heady of her. The threes kept the momentum going. We started on fire, then they caught us, and then Grace (Killins) hit the big three to show we're still there. It was a big moment. We had six kids get more than four rebounds. Out-rebounding them – they're a very good team on the boards – was outstanding."

The Red Leafs went up 58-45 after guard Grace Killins opened the fourth quarter with a basket. Two possessions later, the junior from Coquitlam, B.C., converted a three-point shot to make it 61-47. The 14-point lead was the largest of the second half for either squad. The Yellowjackets staged a rally, using a 13-2 run to trail just 63-60 with 1:23 to go in the game. SFU got two offensive rebounds on the next possession and forced MSUB to foul. The Red Leafs went perfect on all four of their free throws – two from Wisotzki and two from Swant – in the final 19 seconds to clinch the win.

Wisotzki extended SFU's advantage to 41-31 with the first field goal of the third quarter, before the visitors got to within three at 41-38 and 43-40. Then Wisotzki took over in the last two minutes. She scored her team's final nine points on three shots from long distance.

The night began with an emotional pre-game tribute to Klassen, Kramer and Swant. Then the Red Leafs then focused that emotion into a blistering 20-3 run to start the game.

Wisotzki opened with a layup and one. Cutler got SFU the ball back with a block, before she scored on the other end of the floor. Then Wisotzki hit from long range to put the home side up 8-0. Klassen, a forward from Chilliwack, B.C., converted the next bucket, followed by a three and a layup from Swant. Another Wisotzki triple finished the surge.

The Yellowjackets climbed all the way back to lead 29-28 on a Shelley layup with just over three minutes on the clock in the second quarter. But the Red Leafs stretched their lead again with an 8-0 run – comprised of a Swant layup and threes from Killins and Wisotzki – to finish the half.

The hosts held MSUB to 36.7 per cent shooting (22-60) overall and 37.5 per cent success (6-16) on three-point attempts. The 'Jackets were 11 of 16 on free throws (68.8 per cent).
 

 

After the final whistle, friends and family joined the SFU team to celebrate the win, and the seniors who played their last home game in a Red Leafs uniform.

"This has really been the most unique last few years," said Langford. "The group of seniors before kind of got a head start before COVID hit, this group never really got a head start with COVID. It came in right when it was time for them to develop and has been a huge factor in their careers. I was looking at the total numbers of games, and these kids played 95, 100 games in four years when our past seniors would have had much more."

Langford had high praise for Klassen, Kramer and Swant.

"The three of them are all a little bit different," he said. "Emma is very serious about social responsibility and has pushed a lot of envelopes and helped herself achieve notoriety. We've had a tradition of being a very academic team, and Sophie Klassen has kept that piece going, as she's been outstanding in the classroom.  Georgia Swant is a very kind human being who the team recognizes as someone they want as the captain because of her caring for everybody. You like to think those three qualities mingled among a team are what you want a team to be about." 

Klassen is a four-time GNAC Academic All-Conference Team member who has served as a learning coach for SFU women's basketball. With a future in graduate studies and eventually medicine, she was grateful to celebrate with those closest to her on Saturday.

"This is one of the best nights of my life, just looking up into the crowd and seeing how many friends and family came out," she said. "Hearing how loud they were, they were the loudest group in the building, I felt so supported by everyone. It was just awesome to see all the people who have helped me get to this spot, coming here to celebrate tonight."
 

Kramer's advocacy for her peers recently earned her the NCAA Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee's chair position. She is currently the SFU SAAC president, and won the school's Ryan Stolys SAAC Excellence in Leadership Award last year.

"We couldn't have asked for a better ending to the home stretch of our season," she said. "I'm super proud of everyone on our team. I'm really grateful for my amazing teammates, who pulled out this win. This was definitely a team effort. There are so many emotions right now.

"I was trying to savor every moment, the crowd, the gym, and the atmosphere here – and live presently in this game – because it's something I'll likely never experience again."

The team captain, Swant is looking to play in Europe next season, and pursue a Master's degree in Environmental Sustainability.

"There were so many emotions," recounted Swant. "Before the game, I was anxious, nervous, sad. During the pre-game ceremony, I was mostly sad. I walked up the stairs and saw my parents smiling down at me and that broke me down a bit. Then there was excitement. I was using my nerves as a way to contribute to my play. We stayed focused on the game.

"To end the game with the two other seniors on the court with me and having both of them play such a significant role in the win, it was picture perfect. I could not have asked for a better night."

While Senior Night was a time to celebrate and reflect, the Red Leafs will continue on their push towards the playoffs. The team will wrap up the regular season Thursday (7 p.m.) at Western Washington, a team that is ranked eighth in both NCAA Division II polls. SFU hopes to make a return trip to Bellingham, which will host the GNAC Women's Basketball Championship, March 2-4.
 
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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