Box Score

Simon Fraser University's Red Leafs fought hard all night long but lost a heartbreaker 70-65 on the road Thursday night against the Central Washington Wildcats, snapping their three-game winning streak.
 
The game started with a bang for SFU, as junior Sophia Wisotzki hit a three on her first shot of the night. The Wildcats answered right back with a three of their own and were on fire for the rest of the first quarter behind the arc going 4-7. The first quarter was a battle between Wisotzki, who had seven of the Red Leafs' first nine points and the Wildcats' Asher Kai, who dropped 13 pts of her own, leading her team to a 27-17 lead after the first frame.
 
The second quarter started with stifling defense by the Red Leafs. First it was senior Grace Killins with a perfectly timed steal and finish the other way. On the ensuing possession Sophia Wisotzki stripped the ball from a Wildcat's player driving to the hoop. Freshman Rachel Loukes picked up the loose ball and raced down court finishing with another layup, cutting the lead to 27-21.
 
With SFU having all the momentum, the Wildcats called timeout. After that, the Wildcats slowed it down and went on a decisive 7-0 run. It was time for the Red Leafs to adjust and they did just that. After a timeout of their own, the Red Leafs put sophomore Myrlaine Shelvey on the Wildcats red hot Kai. Shelvey slowed Kai down for the rest of the frame. That, coupled with Red Leafs' senior, Jessica Wisotzki getting some tough layups at the rim, cut the Wildcats lead to 46-39 at halftime.
 
The start of the third quarter was a chaotic defensive frenzy. Neither team could get anything to fall and turned the ball over multiple times. Midway through the third SFU's Jessica Wisotzki collided awkwardly with a teammate, went down and did not return. Despite the massive loss of Wisotzki , SFU went on a 9-1 run to end the quarter and cut the lead to 59-49 Wildcats going into the fourth.
 
In the fourth, freshman Kaitlin Tetteh-Wayoe made multiple tough buckets at the rim to cut the Wildcats' lead to 63-59 with just five minutes to go. That set up a crazy finish. First it was Kai for the Wildcats knocking down a tough jumper.
 
Then Sophia Wisotzki responded with a mid-range jumper of her own. A minute later with the lead now 68-63 Wildcats, Wisotzki made a perfect pass to junior Gemma Cutler cutting to the basket. Cutler made no mistake at the rim and cut the lead to 68-65, with just three minutes to go.
 
After a great defensive possession SFU had an open layup to cut the lead to one, but the ball just went off the outside of the rim, a narrow miss. Not long after that SFU missed another wide-open layup and after a Capri Sins bucket with just 29 seconds to go fell through the hoop. With the lead at five, the game was all but over.
 
Sophia Wisotzki led the way for the Red Leafs with 24 points and two assists. SFU will look to get back in the win column Saturday, when they take on the Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks in Idaho.