Box Score               • Final Stats

ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Cory Hutsen and Matt Borton combined for 40 points Friday, leading ninth-ranked Seattle Pacific to an 86-73 men's basketball victory over BYU-Hawaii on the opening day of the GNAC/PacWest Challenge at Nicholson Pavilion.
 
The Falcons (5-1) rebounded from their only loss, a 90-88 overtime setback against Dixie State last Saturday at home. They remain in Ellensburg to play Hawaii Pacific on Saturday at 2 p.m.
 
HPU defeated host Central Washington 71-64 in the other first-round game.
 
Coach Ryan Looney was concise in explaining what the key to success will be in Saturday's early afternoon game following the late-night contest.
 
"Depth. We're going to have to rely on a lot of guys tomorrow. For us to get it done everyone's going to have to be dialed in."
 
 
Borton, a junior transfer from the University of Idaho, posted his collegiate high with 18 points. His 6-of-8 performance from the field included four 3-pointers in five attempts.
 
"We shot a good percentage on offense, Cory Hutsen had a nice night in the post and Matt Borton got some shots to drop on the perimeter," Looney said. "We still need to grow defensively and become a better rebounding team."
 
Patrick Simon chipped in 12 points for the Falcons despite not making a trey. Neither did David Downs, who attempted just one 3-pointer. The senior point guard tallied seven of his nine points from the free throw line. Those two entered the game averaging a combined six 3-pointers per game.
 
"BYU-Hawaii did a good job limiting David's opportunities, but he still did a good job running the team," Looney said of Downs, who distributed five assists.
 
"In all reality they gave us a lot of open shots with Patrick and Brendan Carroll. And if you look at it we went 0 of 10 combined in that situation."
 
Simon missed all six of his trey tries and Carroll was 0 for 4.
 
Scott Friel paced the Seasiders with 17 points while his teammate Cory Lange and Robbie Mitchell each had 10.
 
SPU trailed 45-44 before scoring six straight points to take the lead for good. Riley Stockton started the surge with a layup and capped it with a jumper with 12:28 on the clock and his team ahead 50-45.
 
The Seasiders (1-2) never drew closer than three the rest of the way and another six-point SPU run increased the differential to a high of 15 points, at 75-60 with 4:08 left to play.
 
The Falcons shot 53 percent (29 of 55) and were 6 of 21 from beyond the arc and 22 of 26 from the free throw line. BYUH countered with 50-percent shooting (28 of 56) but was unable to overcome a 13-point deficit line with 9 of 12 accuracy from the stripe.
 
SPU led by as many as eight points in the first half, claiming a 22-14 margin on a layup by Jake Ehlers nine minutes into the game.
 
But BYUH responded with an 18-6 run, fueled by nine points from Friel, to go ahead 32-31 with 5:05 left in the half. The Falcons reclaimed the lead and were up three before Lange's 3-pointer at the buzzer forged a 39-39 halftime tie.

 
NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL
GNAC/PacWest Challenge
Friday, Nov. 22, 2013
Nicholson Pavilion/Ellensburg, Wash.
 
(#9) Seattle Pacific 86, BYU-Hawaii 73
 
BYU-HAWAII (1-2)
Ngatai 3-6 0-0 6, Aston 4-8 0-0 9, Medlock 3-4 1-2 7, Mitchell 3-4 4-4 10, Lange 3-7 2-3 10, Friel 7-13 2-3 17, Ford 2-5 0-0 6, Harris 1-5 0-0 3, Coro 1-1 0-0 3, Tuliau 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 28-56 9-12 73.
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (5-1)
Borton 6-8 2-2 18, Simon 5-12 2-2 12, Hutsen 9-14 4-6 22, Downs 1-4 7-8 9, Stockton 4-6 0-0 9, Penner 1-3 4-4 7, Carroll 2-7 1-2 5, Ehlers 1-1 0-0 2, Todd 0-0 2-2 2, Rasmussen 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-55 22-26 86.
 
BYU-Hawaii....................   39   34  -   73
Seattle Pacific...............   39   47  -   86
 
3-point goals--BYUH 8-21 (Lange 2-5, Ford 2-4, Coro 1-1, Harris 1-3, Friel 1-3, Aston 1-3, Ngatai 0-1, Mitchell 0-1), SPU 6-21 (Borton 4-5, Penner 1-3, Stockton 1-2, Carroll 0-4, Downs 0-1, Simon 0-6). Fouled out--BYUH-Ngatai, Jordan, SPU-None. Rebounds--BYUH 28 (Ngatai, Medlock 7), SPU 29 (Hutsen 8). Assists--BYUH 14 (Mitchell 7), SPU 11 (Downs 5). Total fouls--BYUH 22, SPU 14. Technical fouls--BYUH-Ngatai, Bench, SPU-None. Att.-186.
 
 
Next SPU Men's Basketball Game
GNAC/PacWest Challenge
Seattle Pacific vs. Hawaii Pacific
Saturday, Nov. 23, 2:00 p.m.
Nicholson Pavilion / Ellensburg, Wash.