BURNABY, B.C. — The SFU Red Leafs took the first leg of their Alaskan road trip in convincing fashion Thursday night, pulling out an 85-74 win over the Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks in the first Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball game of 2024 for both teams.
 
Gemma Cutler was the Leafs' primary driver against the Nanooks, as the junior forward from North Vancouver, B.C., totaled 24 points on 11 of 15 shooting and added a career-best 16 rebounds in a spectacular showing. With her shooting performance Thursday, she improved her field-goal percentage to 62.0 per cent for the season, which ranks her eighth in all of NCAA Division II.
 
Junior guard Sophia Wisotzki (Langley, B.C.) was equally terrific, going 9 of 20 from the field en route to 22 points, while notching four rebounds and three assists.
 
SFU (9-6, 1-1 GNAC) fell behind in the first few minutes, with the Nanooks quickly ripping off an 8-2 run after the opening whistle. However, Sophia Wisotzki stopped the bleeding early, getting the Red Leafs going with a two-point jumper. Jessica Wisotzki, a senior guard/forward from Langley, B.C., kept the momentum high, as she knocked down two huge triples as part SFU's own 12-2 run to roar back and take a 14-10 lead.
 
The Red Leafs' never trailed after that, though the Nanooks did manage to get within a single basket a couple of times midway through the opening quarter. However, SFU consistently found ways to pull back out in front, in large part thanks to a dominant performance on the offensive glass. Canada's NCAA team parlayed 21 offensive boards into not only 16 second-chance points, but also a significant amount of extra time of possession. The Red Leafs also out-rebounded the Nanooks by 17 boards overall, their highest margin of the season.
 

Ahead 43-38 at halftime, SFU continued to stretch its lead in the second half.
 
Cutler made a layup with just over three minutes left in third quarter to make the score 60-51. It was the start to a 15-4 run that extended into the final period. Senior guard Grace Killins of Coquitlam, B.C., followed up with a jump shot before Cutler got an offensive rebound and a second-chance basket. Sophia Wisotzki converted a jumper and the ensuing free throw at the end of the quarter to put the Red Leafs in front 67-54.
 
To open the fourth, a pair of Cutler layups book-ended a Sophia Wisotzki jumper to cap off the SFU run, which ended with the Red Leafs holding a 73-55 advantage. With a foul shot, Killins increased the gap to 19 points, 78-59, with just over five minutes remaining in the game.
 
Even an impressive late run from the Nanooks wasn't enough to pull them all the way back, as the visitors eventually cruised to a double-digit win. Killins (16 points), and Jessica Wisotzki (12 points) also hit double digits for the Red Leafs. Freshman Rachel Loukes notched six points, but also 10 boards, five assists, and three steals, all of which were career highs for the guard from Prince George, B.C. On the opposing side, sophomore forward Kayla Johnson led the Nanooks with a team-best 17 points.
 
The Red Leafs will look to complete the Alaskan sweep this Saturday, January 6, as they're set to take on the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves at the Alaska Airlines Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. Pacific.

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