BURNABY, B.C. – The SFU Red Leafs notched one of the most impressive wins in program history Saturday night, as they upended the Saint Martin's Saints 74-72 with a buzzer-beating layup from
Immanuel Oludele serving as the deciding factor.
The Saints entered the weekend ranked fourth in the NCAA Division II media poll and seventh in the coaches' poll. They are the highest-ranked opponent SFU has defeated in its NCAA era. The Red Leafs' previous best victory came five years and one day earlier on the same Marcus Pavilion floor, in a 61-59 triumph over Saint Martin's on Feb. 2, 2019. The Saints went into that game holding No. 12 and 13 national rankings.
Oludele – a guard/forward from Niagara Falls, Ont. – was terrific all night, notching a season-high 16 points to go along with five rebounds. The sophomore was tied for the team scoring lead with junior
Eric Beckett, who dropped his 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting in just 22 minutes of action. That 16 points is a career high for Beckett, a guard from Ajax, Ont. SFU also got 14 points from senior guard
David Penney (Guelph, Ont.) and 13 from freshman guard
Irish Coquia of Vancouver, flashing the scoring depth the roster is capable of.
"It was an impressive win for our young team," assessed SFU head coach
Steve Hanson. "SMU is such a quality veteran team. We have grown a lot this week and multiple guys have contributed in a big way. Defensively, we are locked in, but still have room to grow."
Early on, the game didn't go in SFU's favour. The Saints looked every bit a nationally ranked opponent as they opened up a 12-point lead, 26-14, with just three minutes remaining in the first half.
Then, the combo of Penney and sophomore centre
Zach Stone (Ottawa) teamed up to go on an 11-0 SFU run, including back-to-back-to-back triples. Spanning just under two minutes, that electric burst erased nearly the entire deficit and had the Red Leafs down just 28-27 at the break.
Beckett hit a three to open the second half, giving SFU its first lead of the day, and the Red Leafs were locked in from there.
Every time SMU knocked down a bucket behind their Kyle Greeley-led offence, the Red Leafs were quick to respond. After the Saints took a 45-44 edge with just under 13 minutes to go, SFU went on a 17-6 run to build a 10-point advantage – 61-51 – with 6:56 on the clock.
Coquia started the run with back-to-back triples for Canada's NCAA team. The Saints made a three of their own before Oludele and Coquia scored field goals to make it 54-48 for SFU. The run was finished off in style by Beckett, who dropped a turnaround jumper from the foul line to push the Red Leafs in front 56-51. He then converted a mid-range two in front of his own bench as well as the ensuing free throw after getting fouled. On the next offensive possession, Beckett made a driving bank shot off the glass to give SFU a double-digit advantage for the first time.
However, the Saints clawed their way back in, getting some clutch buckets from Greeley and Jade Nielsen-Skinner as they cut down the Red Leafs' lead.
With just 16 seconds left, Greeley pulled the Saints all the way even with a pair of free throws, setting up a dramatic finish.
After killing just enough clock to ensure theirs would be the last shot, Dimaculangan drove to the top of the three-point line and stepped back to launch what looked like the final attempt. Instead, he elevated and passed the ball to Oludele in the paint, and the sophomore made no mistake on his layup that went through the net with just 0.3 seconds on the clock. The play gave SFU its second one-score win of the week, following the team's 88-87 overtime triumph at Western Oregon on Thursday.
"
Eric Beckett has had a huge impact on how each one of our guys plays," said Hanson. "I'm so happy for him and this long road he has been on. He takes the pressure off our guards and everyone can contribute effectively within the team framework. Elliot, Immanuel, and David were excellent on the glass.
"SMU's big 2-3 zone gave us problems early, but Eric hit some key buckets to loosen it up and when they switched to man, we got going. The offensive stretch before the end of half was crucial. Our bench tonight was impressive.
Sasha Vujisic (Burnaby, B.C.),
Georges Lefebvre (Montreal) and Irish gave us key stops, rebounding, assists and scoring at important times with David and Zach in foul trouble. I think Irish had 11 straight points and gave our team a huge boost. A great win for our program over a nationally ranked opponent, but we have to continue to get better each week. This is the GNAC. Every opponent is a new challenge. One day and game at a time."
Hanson's team shot an incredible 65.5 per cent from the field in the second half, making 19 of 29 attempts, and 54.5 per cent from three-point range (6-11). The Red Leafs also out-rebounded the Saints 36-29, leading to a 15-4 advantage in second-chance points.
SFU will look to keep its win streak going at home next week, as the team welcomes the Montana State Billings Yellowjackets to the West Gym on Thursday, February 8, and the Seattle Pacific Falcons on Saturday, February 10. Both games are set to tip off at 7 p.m.
TICKETS:
Feb. 8:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/sfu-mens-basketball-vs-montana-state-university-billings-tickets-727841432317
Feb. 10:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/sfu-mens-basketball-vs-seattle-pacific-university-tickets-727843007027
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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