BURNABY, B.C. – Thursday was a career night for Zach Stone of the Simon Fraser Red Leafs men's basketball team.
 
The sophomore forward from Ottawa posted personal bests in points (23), field goals (eight), field goal attempts (16), three-pointers (three) and three-point attempts (four) in the Red Leafs' Great Northwest Athletic Conference game at Seattle Pacific. In addition to the career highs, Stone led SFU in rebounds (seven) and blocks (three).
 
However, his efforts were not enough as SFU (2-13, 0-4 GNAC) lost 83-63 to the host Falcons (9-9, 2-3 GNAC).
 
Senior guard David Penney (Guelph, Ont.) added 13 points and a team-best four assists to the Red Leafs' cause. Junior guard Elliot Dimaculangan (Mississauga, Ont.) and sophomore forward Nigel Hylton (Toronto) each recorded nine points and four rebounds.
 
Seattle Pacific opened the game with a 13-2 run to set the tone early. An 8-2 run later in the first half by SFU cut its deficit to five points. Stone started the surge with a three-point basket. He then blocked a shot on the defensive end to give SFU the ball back. The 7-footer then came down the floor and made a layup. After a pair of free throws by the Falcons, Hylton converted a three-pointer to close the gap to 17-12.
 
The home team extended its lead to back to double digits at 30-18 and took a 32-23 edge into halftime.
 

 
Another Stone three early in the second half closed SFU to 35-28, but the difference did not get any smaller after this. The Falcons used a 12-3 stretch to extend their lead to 18 points at 59-41 midway through the period, which increased to 27 with 3:44 to go.
 
The Red Leafs closed the game on a 7-0 run with a layup and free throw from Penney, a Stone layup, and a steal and layup by freshman guard Tate Christiansen (North Vancouver, B.C.), who made his first career start Thursday.
 
SFU shot 37.9 per cent from the field (22 of 58), 36.8 per cent from beyond the three-point arc (7 of 19) and 80 per cent at the free-throw line (12 of 15).
 
Seattle Pacific had an excellent shooting night, making half of its 60 field goal attempts. The Falcons converted 14 of 32 three-point shots (43.8 per cent) and nine of 10 free throws.
 
The Red Leafs will look to rebound on Saturday, as they will play at Montana State Billings with the tipoff scheduled for 1 p.m. Pacific.
 
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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