BURNABY, B.C. – Simon Fraser fell just short in its comeback attempt as the Red Leafs lost 58-51 Thursday night to Alaska Anchorage in Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball action in Burnaby, B.C.
In his next-to-last home game, senior
Jahmal Wright (Toronto) led the Red Leafs (6-18, 1-13 GNAC) with 17 points. His team-high nine rebounds were the most he's had in an SFU uniform. Freshman guard / forward
Immanuel Oludele (Niagara Falls, Ont.) recorded 14 points and eight rebounds. He scored four three-pointers on eight attempts.
Guard Tyson Gilbert and forward Sawyer Storms had nine points apiece for UAA (11-11, 5-8 GNAC). Guard AJ Garrity eight rebounds, five steals and four assists.
Wright opened the second half with a dunk to make it a one-score game at 31-28. He made two free throws later to even things at 33-33. The Seawolves regained a small advantage before sophomore SFU forward
Georges Lefebvre (Montreal) tied the score with the play of the year for SFU. With just over 11 minutes to go, Lefebvre had the ball on the right wing. After faking a handoff, he drove towards the hoop. Lefebvre flew over defender Caleb Larsen and threw down a monstrous two-handed dunk with his head reaching rim height. Lefebvre made the ensuing free throw to tie the game at 43-43.
Alaska Anchorage, though, had a response, scoring 12 of the next 13 points to take a 55-44 lead. Wright converted a layup to cut the gap to 55-49 with just over two minutes to play. Oludele did the same inside the final 30 seconds, but SFU couldn't get any closer.
In the first half, two Wright foul shots tied the score at 15-15, but the visiting Seawolves reeled off a 9-0 run to jump in front 24-15. With 3:38 to go before halftime, Alaska Anchorage went ahead 31-20. After more than two scoreless minutes, Lefebvre gave his team some life with a huge block on a Lachlan Viney layup attempt. The Red Leafs moved the ball up the floor and sophomore guard
Jovan Rai (Markham, Ont.) found Lefebvre open at the foul line. He moved into the middle of the paint and launched himself up to the basket for a crowd-pleasing slam dunk.
Then on the next possession, Lefebvre knocked down a Viney lob pass at the left wing to kickstart a fast break. After grabbing the rebound, junior guard
David Penney (Guelph, Ont.) passed the ball to Lefebvre who found a streaking Wright for the layup.
Wright blocked a shot on the next play to give the Red Leafs control on the final possession. He got the in-bounds pass with two seconds left, and launched a jump shot that beat the buzzer. Down by 11, SFU closed the half on a 6-0 run to trail just 31-26.
Georges Lefebvre. Photo by Wilson Wong
The Red Leafs shot 41.3 per cent (19 of 46) from the field on Thursday night, including 29.4 per cent (5-17) on three-point attempts. The team was on target on eight of 12 free throws (66.7 per cent).
The Seawolves had similar numbers, finding success on 40.7 per cent (24-59) of their chances from the field, and 22.7 per cent (5-22) from distance. They made five of nine foul shots (55.6 per cent).
SFU out-rebounded the visitors 39-29, but was out-scored 38-22 in the paint. UAA earned 25 points off 24 forced turnovers.
Eight of the Red Leafs' last nine contests have been decided by fewer than 10 points.
The team will play its final home game of the 2022-23 NCAA season on Saturday against Alaska. The start is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the West Gym. As part of the SFU Senior Night festivities, graduating players Wright,
Colten Northrop (Richland, Washington) and
Kemo Sonko (Banjul, Gambia) will be honoured before the opening tip for their contributions to the Red Leafs Men's Basketball program.
Tickets can be purchased at the following link:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/sfu-mens-basketball-vs-university-of-alaska-tickets-452166250427
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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