GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.  Though it hit the opening basket and held an early lead Friday afternoon, Western Colorado men's basketball eventually surrendered that lead and later fell, 73-63, to Simon Fraser University in the opening game of the Holiday Inn Airport Thanksgiving Basketball Classic hosted by Colorado Mesa University.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Simon Fraser def. Western Colorado, 73-63
Records: Western Colorado 0-5, Simon Fraser 4-2
Location: Brownson Arena, Colorado Mesa University; Grand Junction, Colo.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Will Willis set Western off on the right foot, opening the game with a 3-pointer from the right wing. Soon after, Matthew Ragsdale knocked down a jumper for a 5-2 lead.
• Simon Fraser scored the next seven points, however, erasing the deficit then forging a 30-20 advantage as the teams headed into the halftime break.
• The halftime lead would grow to 17 by the 14:07 mark of the second half, but the Mountaineers would battle their way back, cutting the lead to less than 10 points, 53-45, on a driving layup from the right by Ragsdale with 8:18 to play.
• That rally included three 3-pointers from Jaelan McCloud, and later when Avery Rembao drained a 3-pointer the Mountaineers would draw within seven points, 59-52, the closest they'd been since the 7:59 mark of the first half (20-13).
• Simon Fraser was able to extend its advantage, though, over the next few minutes, then held off the Western challenge through to the final buzzer.

COURT NOTES

• Ragsdale would lead a trio of Mountaineers into double digits in scoring, finishing the afternoon with 20 points. McCloud and Kade Juelfs both chipped in with 11 points each.
• Jordan Veening, with eight points, would lead Western in rebounding, coming down with eight, but Simon Fraser would win the battle on the glass, 43-33, paced by Jasdeep Singh's 12 boards. Singh also led all scorers in the game with 25 points.
• One of the big factors in the contest was Simon Fraser's ability to create lanes through which to drive to the basket, as it scored more than half its points, 42, from in the paint, boosting its shooting percentage to 53% from the floor.
• Western overcame a cold opening half from the floor, 22%, fueling its comeback with a 49% second half that included 8-of-16 from behind the arc.

NEXT UP
Western on Saturday continues its appearance in the Thanksgiving Classic with a 2 p.m. game against Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) University.