• FINAL STATS   |   • VIDEO: NATHAN  STREUFERT
• PHOTO GALLERY

SEATTLE – Brougham Pavilion hosted a Block Party on Friday in the men's basketball home opener.
 
Nathan Streufert rejected seven shots, leading Seattle Pacific to a school-record tying total of 11 blocked shots and a 79-56 victory over Concordia-Irvine in the first round of the Sodexo Classic at Brougham Pavilion.
 
The Falcons (2-1) rode 56-percent shooting accuracy (29 of 52) and stellar defense to surge above .500 for the first time since the second day of December last year. They hit 8 of 19 shots from 3-point range with six different players scoring from long range, led by the three treys of Hunter Eisenhower.
 
SPU was credited with 16 assists on its 29 baskets.
 
"I'm thrilled with our team play," exclaimed second-year SPU coach Grant Leep. "We've shown in practice that we can do that. Our guys are very unselfish, they play together, move the ball and make the right pass. We did okay with that last weekend, but tonight we really showed it.
 
"This group is developing such a strong identity on both sides of the ball. The defense that we've been playing has been just phenomenal. That's something that we need to keep building."


 
Streufert had a brilliant all-around game with eight points, seven rebounds and four assists, while hitting 4 of 5 shots from the field. But it was the seven blocks that stood out for the 6-foot-8 junior center from Richland (Wash.) High School.
 
SPU equaled its single-game blocks record of 11, established on Dec. 3, 1998 versus Simon Fraser. That standard was matched one other time, exactly 11 years ago, on Nov. 17, 2006 against Cal State L.A.
 
"We had 11 blocks and obviously Nate was a big portion of that with seven," Leep said. "Our guys played really hard tonight. When you are the team that is being aggressive and playing the hardest, good things happen for you.
 
"Nate personified that tonight. His overall stat line was terrific. He contributed in so many different areas and categories."
 
Streufert came within two of the individual school record of nine blocks that was set by Rob Will in that 2006 game.
 
Gavin Long led a balanced SPU offense with 13 points. Nikhil Lizotte, Harry Cavell and Eisenhower each chipped in 11.
 
Concordia (3-2) was held to 36-percent shooting (21 of 58). Tad Dufelmeier led the visitors with 16 points and JT Roach had 12.
 
Trailing 7-6, CUI went eight straight early possessions without a basket, missing five shots and committing three turnovers during that span.
 
The Falcons capitalized with a run of nine unanswered points. Four different players contributed during the stretch that Long capped with two free throws for a 16-6 advantage with 11:20 left in the half.
 
The Eagles responded with an eight-point surge to draw within 16-14 before Long again converted two free throws for SPU.
 
With 8:19 left in the period, the Falcons staged a 16-4 run. Eisenhower closed the spree at 1:51 on a 3-pointer that forged a 34-19 lead.
 
Concordia drew within 35-26 at halftime on the strength of a 7-1 closing run, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Mike Mellinger off an inbounds play with one second remaining.
 
SPU shot 52 percent in the first half (11 of 21) while limiting the Eagles to 33 percent (9 of 27). Each team forced 11 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes.
 
"At the half we were shooting 52 percent, but had 11 turnovers," Leep described. "So we really challenged our guys at halftime that we were shooting 50 percent, so every time the ball gets turned over it's like throwing away a point. They really latched onto that.
 
"We only had five turnovers in the second half, two of them in the last two minutes. So that first 18 minutes of the half we only had three turnovers against a team that is known to get out and pressure passing lanes and known to trap ball screens. I'm very proud of our guys, how they handled the pressure and moved the ball."
 
A 17-5 run early in the second half put the game away for the Falcons, who increased their lead to as many as 28 points.
 
Junior forward Coleman Wooten contributed to 12-point SPU run. The team's second-leading scorer last season didn't attempt a shot in Friday's first 32 minutes. Then he scored on three straight possessions, with back-to-back layups and a 3-pointer.
 
Wooten finished with nine points, on perfect 4-for-4 shooting. He also compiled five rebounds four assists and three blocked shots.

 

Senior center EJ Poulsen put an exclamation point on the impressive triumph. He tallied the Falcons final points on a power dunk with one minute to play.
 
The Sodexo Classic concludes Saturday in Brougham Pavilion, beginning at 5 p.m. with Concordia playing Central Washington. SPU clashes with Hawaii-Hilo at 7 p.m.
 
Central defeated Hilo 84-79 in Friday's opening game of the tournament.
 
 
NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL
Sodexo Classic
Friday, Nov. 17, 2017
Brougham Pavilion/Seattle, Wash.
 
at Seattle Pacific 79, Concordia-Irvine 56
 
CONCORDIA-IRVINE (3-2)
Mellinger 1-5 0-0 3, Gerlach 1-1 0-0 2, Chambers 3-6 0-0 6, Dufelmeier 5-8 3-4 16, Roach 5-16 0-0 12, Holt 2-3 4-4 8, Lacour-Brown 2-8 1-2 5, English 2-4 0-0 4, Turner 0-2 0-0 0, Clarke 0-0 0-0 0, Vos-Otin 0-5 0-0 0. Totals 21-58 8-10 56.
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (2-1)
Wooten 4-4 0-0 9, Long 4-11 4-4 13, Tony Miller 1-3 0-2 2, Simpson 2-5 0-1 4, Lizotte 3-9 4-4 11, Eisenhower 4-5 0-0 11, Cavell 4-4 2-4 11, Streufert 4-5 0-0 8, Olsen 2-3 2-2 7, Poulsen 1-1 0-0 2, Trey Miller 0-2 1-3 1, Van Dyken 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-52 13-20 79.
 
Concord-Irvine.........26   30  -   56
Seattle Pacific........35   44  -   79
 
3-point goals--CUI 6-11 (Dufelmeier 3-3, Roach 2-4, Mellinger 1-1, Lacour-Brown 0-2, Chambers 0-1), SPU 8-19 (Eisenhower 3-4, Long 1-3, Wooten 1-1, Lizotte 1-5, Cavell 1-1, Olsen 1-1, Trey Miller 0-1, Simpson 0-3). Fouled out--CUI-Roach, SPU-None. Rebounds--CUI 31 (Vos-Otin 5), SPU 34 (Streufert 7). Assists--CUI 6 (Dufelmeier, Lacour-Brown 2), SPU 16 (Wooten, Streufert 4). Total fouls--CUI 21, SPU 15. Technical fouls--CUI-None, SPU-None. A-627.
 
 
Next SPU Men's Basketball Game
Sodexo Classic
Hawaii-Hilo at Seattle Pacific
Saturday, Nov. 18, 7:00 p.m. PST
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.