SEATTLE -- In a game of drastic scoring swings, Western Washington went on a run when it mattered most.
The Vikings staged a 10-1 scoring spree during the final 2:20 of the game Thursday and knocked Seattle Pacific out of contention for the Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball title with a 76-75 victory at Brougham Pavilion.
The Falcons completed the regular season with an 18-9 record. They will finish third in the conference standings with an 11-5 mark.
Western (20-5) and Central Washington (18-5) both won Thursday to improve to 12-3 in league play and set up a showdown for the GNAC championship on Saturday in Bellingham.
SPU is still in the running for a spot in the 64-team NCAA Division II Tournament field that will be announced Sunday night. The Falcons were listed No. 6 in this week's West Region rankings and the top-eight receive playoff berths. They are seeking to participate in the postseason for the fifth consecutive year.
“This could end our season,” SPU coach Jeff Hironaka speculated. “I've been in this thing long enough to know that you can fall from the sixth seed to 10th real quick. After you've lost two in a row you are not going to stay at sixth. If somehow we get in, we'll take it obviously.”
For the second straight game, the Falcons were without the services of point guard Chris Banchero (Seattle, Wash./O'Dea HS) and his team-leading 15.7-point scoring average. The sophomore guard injured his wrist a week ago and was sidelined for Saturday's 85-72 setback at Saint Martin's.
Morris Anderson led all scorers Thursday with 21 points and produced three pivotal plays at game's end for the Vikings. He scored on a driving layup with 25 seconds remaining to draw WWU within 75-74. Another drive and pass set up David Brittinen's decisive layup at 0:14.
The Falcons had two tries at a game-winner in the final seconds. Brandon Larrieu's jumper in the lane bounced off the rim and was rebounded by Adam Wardell (Sedro Woolley, Wash./Sedro Woolley HS), who had a put-back attempt blocked by Morris at the buzzer.
“We made some mistakes at the end of the game that cost us the ballgame. We didn't get a good shot at the end,” Hironaka explained. “We came back and got ourselves back in the game and got the lead. But when push came to shove and we really needed it, we didn't perform and they did.”
SPU manufactured four runs of eight-or-more points. The last was an 11-point surge that resulted in a 74-66 lead with 2:20 left to play. Casey Reed (Canby, Ore.), the Falcons lone senior, completed the run with back-to-back baskets.
But SPU managed just one more point the rest of the way, a free throw by Colby Vranes (Taylorsville, Utah) with 35.2 seconds left that pushed the lead to 75-72. The Falcons missed 5-of-6 free throws during the final 49 seconds to leave the door open for a WWU rally.
“All we had to do is hit a free throw and we just couldn't do it,” Hironaka said. “We've been a poor free throw shooting team all year, so when we needed to step up and hit shots tonight we just didn't do. To their credit they fouled us and when we didn't hit them, they exposed us and got the lead.”
Junior center Rafael Moreira (Brasilia, Brazil) pumped in 20 points for Seattle Pacific, and completed his sixth double-double with 12 rebounds. He got four of those points at the outset of the second half as the Falcons netted eight straight points to turn a 40-34 halftime deficit into a 42-40 lead. The Vikings eventually went back in front 66-63 on a 3-pointer by Graham with 6:04 on the clock.
Larrieu (Puyallup, Wash./Franklin Pierce HS) contributed 15 points for SPU, and Reed finished with 14 in his final Brougham Pavilion playing appearance.
Ira Graham scored 19 points for the Vikings, who also got 11 from Calin Schell and 10 from Steve Alford.
Graham compiled five points in the final 1.2 seconds of the first half to provide WWU with a 40-34 halftime advantage. He was fouled on a fastbreak drive to the basket and converted both free throws. Graham then stole the inbounds pass on the right wing and drained a long 3-pointer as time expired.
The back-and-forth first half featured six ties and seven lead changes. The middle of the opening period included three consecutive 10-point streaks.
The Vikings led 8-4 before SPU reeled off 10 straight points. Larrieu started the surge with back-to-back baskets. Moreira tallied the final six points of the run, the last four on assists from Larrieu.
WWU answered with a 10-point spree of its own to re-claim the lead at 18-14. Schell scored the first and last baskets of the run.
The Falcons responded with 10 unanswered points for a 24-18 lead with 5:49 left in the first half.
Trailing 34-31, Western scored the final nine points of the half, including Graham's final five.
The game was tied 12 times with 13 lead changes.
The Falcons shot an even 50 percent (31-of-62), scoring 50 of their 64 points from the field on shots inside the lane. SPU made just 2-of-11 shots from 3-point range and 11-of-20 free throws.
WWU countered with 52 percent accuracy (29-of-56) from the floor, including 6-of-15 on 3-pointers.
NCAA Men's Basketball
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Brougham Pavilion/Seattle, Wash.
Western Washington 76, Seattle Pacific 75
WESTERN WASHINGTON (20-5, 12-3 GNAC
Schell 5-9 1-2 11, Alford 3-3 2-4 10, Brittinen 1-3 2-2 4, Graham 7-16 2-3 19, Anderson 8-13 4-4 21, McAllister 0-2 0-0 0, Blanche 0-0 0-0 0, Severson 1-1 0-0 2, Duty 4-9 1-2 9. Totals 29-56 12-17 76.
SEATTLE PACIFIC (18-9, 11-5 GNAC)
Reed 6-10 2-2 14, Diederichs 4-6 0-3 8, Moreira 9-17 2-5 20, Vranes 2-4 1-2 5, Larrieu 6-13 2-3 15, Campanaro 0-2 0-0 0, Wardell 2-4 0-0 4, Downs 1-4 2-3 5, Anderson 1-2 2-2 4. Totals 31-62 11-20 75.
Western Washington........40 - 36 -- 76
Seattle Pacific....................34 - 41 -- 75
3-point goals -- WWU 6-15 (Alford 2-2, Brittinen 0-1, Graham 3-7, Anderson 1-4, McAllister 0-1), SPU 2-11 (Diederichs 0-1, Vranes 0-1, Larrieu 1-4, Downs 1-4, Anderson 0-1). Fouled out -- None. Rebounds -- WWU 28 (Brittinen 6), SPU 38 (Moreira 12). Assists -- WWU 11 (Anderson 4), SPU 19 (Diederichs 6, Larrieu 5). Technical fouls -- None. Total fouls -- WWU 19, SPU 16. Att. -- 1,067.
