Box Score    |    Final Stats

NAMPA, Idaho – Tony Miller compiled a career-high 34 points Saturday, but missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer with two seconds remaining in Seattle Pacific's 85-80 men's basketball loss to Northwest Nazarene in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference clash at the Johnson Sports Center.
 
The Falcons (7-9) fell to 3-5 in league play after losing back-to-back games for the third time this season. They were on the short end of an 89-85 score on Thursday at Central Washington.
 
SPU led for three-quarters of the second half, pushing their margin to a high of 11 points. Miller was fouled while attempting a trey and converted all three free throws to provide a 74-63 cushion with 9:08 left to play.
 
The lead was 76-65 after SPU's Gavin Long made a jumper with 8:36 remaining before the Crusaders scored the next 14 points to capture their first lead since the 12-minute mark of the first half.
 
Olamilekan Adetunji ignited the NNU surge with a tip-in and his dunk completed it with the hosts leading 79-76 with 3:41 showing on the clock.
 
Miller hit two free throws to draw SPU within 79-78, but Jayden Bezzant and Maurice Jones netted back-to-back baskets and both of them came after offensive rebounds.
 
Olivier-Paul Betu made a driving layup with 1:07 left, but those were the Falcons' last points. NNU missed shots on its next two possessions, but the visitors were unable to capitalize.
 
SPU's Coleman Wooten was whistled for a charge, fouling out at 0:44. Miller's late 3-pointer caromed off the front rim and was rebounded by the Crusaders' Bouna N'Diaye, who set the final score on two free throws with 0.2 seconds on the clock.
 
A freshman forward, Miller (Woodinville HS) made 9 of 18 shots from the field and 12 of 14 free throws. He surpassed the previous career-high of 32 points established at Alaska Fairbanks on Dec. 31.
 
Miller is scoring at a 17.4-point clip this season to lead all Falcons. He notched double-figure points in 14 of 16 games and surpassed the 20-point plateau six times.

 

Another freshman, Gavin Long, chipped in 13 for SPU. Wooten missed a double-double by two points as he collected 11 rebounds and eight points.
 
N'Diaye tallied all of his team-high 18 points during the second half for the Crusaders (7-7), who evened their GNAC record at 4-4. Jones and Kaileb Rodriguez each scored 16 points and Nikola Prvulj had 11.
 
Jones grabbed 14 rebounds to lead the Crusaders 43-39 edge on the boards. They parlayed 16 offensive rebounds into 26 second-chance points.
 
Six different players nailed a 3-pointer SPU, which combined to shoot 10 of 29 beyond the arc.
 
The injury-plagued Falcons played just eight men. Two of them fouled out in the second half, Joe Ramussen with 4:42 left to play and Wooten inside the final minute.
 
In the first half, SPU broke open a 23-23 tie with a 13-1 run, fueled completely by 3-pointers and free throws. Miller and Sharif Khan each contributed a trey and two free throws to the surge that also included a 3-pointer from Long. That forged the Falcons largest lead, 36-24, with 5:51 left in the first half.
 
The Crusaders committed four turnovers and missed two shots during that span, scoring only on a single free throw by Carlos Garcia.
 
NNU tallied 10 unanswered points late in the first half and was within 43-39 at halftime.
 
The Falcons conclude their current stretch of three road games in six days when they visit Lacey, Wash. on Tuesday to meet Saint Martin's. Tip-off is 7 p.m. at Marcus Pavilion.
 
The next SPU home game is Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in Brougham Pavilion against Montana State Billings.
 
 
NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017
Johnson Sports Center / Nampa, Idaho
 
at Northwest Nazarene 85, Seattle Pacific 80
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (7-9, 3-5 GNAC)
Wooten 3-9 0-0 8, Miller 9-18 12-14 34, Rasmussen 3-7 2-2 9, Betu 2-8 0-2 4, Long 4-8 4-4 13, Khan 1-8 5-8 8, Streufert 1-1 1-3 4, Eisenhower 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-59 24-33 80.
 
NORTHWEST NAZARENE (7-7, 4-4 GNAC)

Jones 7-13 0-2 16, Rodriguez 7-14 2-2 16, N'Diaye 5-12 6-6 18, Olivier 4-10 0-0 8, Bezzant 3-12 0-0 8, Prvulj 3-5 3-3 11, Adetunji 3-5 0-0 6, Garcia 0-1 1-2 1, Brink 0-0 1-2 1, Lepovic 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 32-72 13-17 85. 

 
Seattle Pacific        43   37  -  80
Northwest Nazarene     39   46  -  85
 

3-point goals--SPU 10-29 (Miller 4-12, Wooten 2-5, Khan 1-7, Rasmussen 1-2, Long 1-2, Streufert 1-1), NNU 8-23 (Jones 2-7, Prvulj 2-4, N'Diaye 2-3, Bezzant 2-5, Olivier 0-4). Fouled out--SPU-Wooten, Rasmussen, NNU-Garcia. Rebounds--SPU 39 (Wooten 11), NNU 43 (Jones 14). Assists--SPU 12 (Betu 4), NNU 15 (Bezzant, Olivier 5). Total fouls--SPU 23, NNU 25. Technical fouls--SPU-None, NNU-Garcia, Prvulj. A-982.

 
Next SPU Men's Basketball Game
Seattle Pacific at Saint Martin's
Tuesday, Jan. 17, 7:00 p.m. PST
Marcus Pavilion / Lacey, Wash.