Box Score    |    Final Stats    |    VIDEO: Coleman  Wooten

SEATTLE – A first-half four-point-play initiated the lead and near-perfect basketball for 19 second-half possessions rapidly increased that margin for the Seattle Pacific men.
 
Coleman Wooten tallied 23 points while teammate Tony Miller scored 10 of his 17 during the decisive five-minute stretch of Saturday's 94-75 Great Northwest Athletic Conference victory over Montana State Billings at Brougham Pavilion.
 
The Falcons (8-10) halted a three-game losing streak and improved their league record to 4-6.
 

 
SPU broke the game open midway through the second half. The hosts led 57-55 before reeling off 10 unanswered points to gain a 67-55 advantage with 12:29 left to play. Four different players scored during the surge, including Miller and Joe Rasmussen who each drained a 3-pointer.
 
That spree ignited a 22-2 run for the Falcons, who hit all eight of their shots during the span that resulted in a 79-57 advantage with 9:26 left to play. A freshman forward, Miller (Woodinville HS) made all four of his shots during the surge, with two of them coming beyond the 3-point arc.
 
While Miller did most of the damage, Coach Grant Leep credited unselfish play for his team's rise.
 
"I love how well our guys shared the ball tonight. We really moved it.
 
"When you move the ball and you are not standing, you just get into that flow of the game. Guys passed up good shots to get their teammates great ones and  were able to get the ball into the paint, which then just collapses a defense. Then you are either shooting layins or you're finding guys with wide-open threes."
 
A later 9-2 burt, fueled by five points from Hunter Eisenhower, stretched the Falcons' lead to a high of 28 points, at 91-63. That capped a stretch during which they converted 15 of 16 attempts from the field.
 
The Yellowjackets (11-7) answered with seven straight points to start a 12-3 game-closing run that narrowed the final deficit. They dropped to 6-4 in GNAC games with their second consecutive defeat.
 
SPU shot a torrid 70 percent (19 of 27) during the second half and made 8 of 10 treys. Paired with 42-percent first-half shooting (13 of 31), the Falcons made 55 percent of their shots (32 of 58) for the entire game.
 
Billings dropped to 35 percent for the game (23 of 65) after being limited to 31 percent (12 of 39) after halftime.
 
Wooten (Tahoma HS) hit 8 of 10 shots from the field, a figure that includes 3-for-4 accuracy on 3-pointers. The sophomore forward also contributed six rebounds and a team-high five assists.

 

Rasmussen (Mercer Island HS) finished with 18 points for the Falcons and Gavin Long (Wenatchee HS) had 14.
 
"Coleman and Tony and Joe, those guys who have been big for us all year long, stepped up and did it again," said Leep.
 
That trio generated 62 percent of SPU's offensive production this season. Wooten currently leads the team with 17.7 points per game while Miller chips in 17.0 and Rasmussen 15.0.
 
Marc Matthews and Jordan Perry shared scoring honors for Billings with 17 points apiece. Preston Beverly had 12 points despite being limited to 14 minutes due to foul trouble that eventually saw him leave the game with 4:38 to play.
 
In the first half SPU broke a 20-20 tie by scoring five straight points, claiming the lead for good. Rasmussen started the decisive surge with a free throw.
 
On the Falcons next possession Olivier-Paul Betu nailed a 3-pointer from the left baseline while being knocked down by MSUB's Beverly, who picked up his third foul. Betu completed the four-point play that produced a 25-20 lead with 8:42 left in the half.
 
"With how they play and how good Beverly and Matthews are, to get three fouls on one of those guys in the first half allowed us to be able to keep pushing and keep going," Leep said of sending the Yellowjackets best player to the bench for nearly nine minutes to close the period. Beverly entered the game with team-leading averages of  18.1 points and 8.4 rebounds. He finished with 12 pints and five boards.
 
"Olivier has been so versatile for us this year. It was one of the most complete games that he played for us. We really needed him to step up and that was just a great play that he made."
 
Three times the Yellowjackets drew within two points but were turned away on each occasion. The final time came on two free throws by Rasmussen that set the halftime score at 43-39 in favor of the Falcons.
 
The SPU men remain at home for two conference games next week. They entertain Alaska Fairbanks on Thursday and Alaska Anchorage on Saturday. Both games are scheduled to tip-off at 7 p.m. in Brougham Pavilion.
 
"This is going to be big to be at home for a little bit now and try to hopefully get into a rhythm here and start to climb our way back in the standings." Leep concluded.
 
 
NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
at Seattle Pacific 94, Montana State Billings 75
 
MONTANA STATE BILLINGS (11-7, 6-4 GNAC)
Beverly 4-11 2-2 12, Tall 1-3 0-0 2, Matthews 5-15 3-4 17, Perry 5-8 4-4 17, Anderson 2-8 2-2 8, Jeuschede 1-7 1-2 3, Durr 3-7 1-3 8, Lessinger 1-4 4-4 6, Denham 1-2 0-0 2, Alcorn 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-65 17-21 75.
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (8-10, 4-6 GNAC)
Wooten 8-10 4-7 23, Miller 7-11 1-2 17, Rasmussen 6-13 3-4 18, Betu 2-4 1-1 6, Long 5-6 2-2 14, Eisenhower 3-7 0-0 8, Khan 1-3 3-4 5, Streufert 0-4 3-4 3, Poulsen 0-0 0-0 0, Bench 0-0 0-0 0, Van Dyken 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 32-58 17-24 94.
 
Montana State Billings     39   36  -  75
Seattle Pacific            43   51  -  94
 
3-point goals--MSUB 12-30 (Matthews 4-8, Perry 3-5, Anderson 2-6, Beverly 2-4, Durr 1-3, Jeuschede 0-3, Lessinger 0-1), SPU 13-25 (Wooten 3-4, Rasmussen 3-7, Long 2-2, Miller 2-4, Eisenhower 2-6, Betu 1-1, Khan 0-1). Fouled out—MSUB-Beverly, SPU-None. Rebounds--MSUB 39 (Perry, Matthews 6), SPU 34 (Miller 8). Assists--MSUB 14 (Matthews 5), SPU 16 (Wooten 5). Total fouls--MSUB 21, SPU 20. Technical fouls--MSUB-None, SPU-None. A-570.
 
 
Next SPU Men's Basketball Game
Alaska Fairbanks at Seattle Pacific
Thursday, Jan. 26, 7:00 p.m. PST
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.