• FINAL STATS   |   • VIDEO: COACH GRANT LEEP

SEATTLE – Trey Drechsel led all scorers with 27 points Thursday, including six during the final 1:09 of Western Washington's 86-80 men's basketball win over Seattle Pacific in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference clash at Brougham Pavilion.
 
SPU (6-4) dropped to 1-2 in conference games while the Vikings (8-3) remaining undefeated in GNAC action with a 3-0 mark.
 
Western staved off a late rally that brought the hosts within 77-75 on two Tony Miller free throws with 2:36 left to play.
 
Drechsel hit an 18-foot jumper from behind the free throw line at 1:09 and then converted two free throws on back-to-back possessions. Trevor Jasinsky added one free throw with 25.8 seconds to give WWU a commaning margin, 84-75.
 
"I was very pleased with our effort and when it just came down to it their guys stepped up and made some plays and made some tough shots and we weren't able to convert some of ours," second-year SPU coach Grant Leep explained.


 
Miller scored 23 points to pace SPU, which also got 16 from Hunter Eisenhower, 12 from Harry Cavell and 11 from Braden Olsen.
 
A 6-foot-6 sophomore forward, Miller was the 2017 GNAC Freshman of the Year. He made 7 of 16 shots from the field and collected seven rebounds.
 
"Tony just scores so easy. He's a guy that we're going to continue to do things for and try to put him in good positions to score," Leep described. "The thing that I've been really proud about with Tony is he is a more complete player this year than he was a year ago. He just continues to get better and we'll keep finding ways to challenge him and move him into different spots where we can take advantage of his skillset."
 
Drechsel made 8 of 13 shots from the field and 8 of 9 at the free throw line. He led WWU's 52-percent shooting performance (32 of 62) while the Falcons shot 41 percent (25 of 61).
 
Deandre Dickson and Daulton Hommes each contributed 17 points for the Vikings and Jasinsky added 12.
 
Trailing 49-47 early in the second half, Western staged a 13-4 run to capture the lead for good. Hommes and Drechsel each scored five points during that span that netted a 60-53 advantage with 14:35 remaining. The Vikings nailed 8 of their first 10 shots coming out of halftime.
 
SPU chipped away at the deficit and drew within 72-71 with 6:00 to play after consecutive 3-pointers by Miller and Gabe Colosimo.
 
Nathan Streufert grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Falcons slim 34-33 edge on the boards. WWU entered the game as the national leader in rebound margin, outboarding opponents by 14.8 per game.
 
"One of the things that we really wanted our group to work on was just knowing that they are a very good rebounding team. We wanted to do a really good job on the glass and our guys did that tonight," said Leep.
 
"The thing with Nate that we are so proud of is he stepped up into a start tonight for the first time this season. He's just been so solid for us and his confidence grows every time we step on the court. What he does for us is invaluable. He just brings us a toughness and athleticism from that position that really helps."
 
Western hit its first two shots to start the game and then capitalized on six straight SPU misses to forge a 9-3 advantage. Logan Schilder stole the ball and fed Hommes for a fastbreak dunk that capped the surge with 15:44 left in the first half.
 
The Falcons steadily chipped away at the lead and leveled the score, 20-20, on Eisenhower's second 3-pointer in less than two minutes, with 9:15 showing on the clock.
 
WWU's lead was 30-26 before Seattle Pacific reeled off 13 unanswered points. Eisenhower ignited the spree with back-to-back 3-point baskets and Miller capped it with a free throw and layup, providing a 39-30 advantage with 2:48 to play in the half. The Falcons forced four turnovers and two missed shots to keep Western off the scoreboard during the surge.
 
Drechsel tallied the Vikings final 11 points during the final 2:40 before halftime, including a 3-pointer with 4.2 seconds left that brought the visitors within 44-41.

 

Eisenhower hit all four of his first-half 3-pointers for the Falcons, who shot just 39 percent (13 of 33) in the period.
 
"Hunter is one of our best shooters, if not our best shooter. We continue to try to find ways to keep him involved," said Leep. "When he gets one going in early then we know that we've probably got him for awhile.
 
"Credit to him because there are times, with as deep as we are, playing time gets inconsistent for guys sometimes. Hunter sticks with it and he was vigilant tonight ready to go."
 
WWU countered with 50-percent first-half accuracy (15 of 30) and made 5 of 11 treys.
 
The SPU men remain home to host Simon Fraser on Saturday. Tip-off is 7 p.m. at Brougham Pavilion.
 
"It's a game that we need to be ready for, especially with the way that our season ended last year in a loss up at their place," Leep said of the 93-82 setback at Simon Fraser in the last meeting, on Feb. 25. "They are a good team. They're much improved and they're playing very well. We've got to be ready to go."
 
 
NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL
Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
Western Washington 86, at Seattle Pacific 80
 
WESTERN WASHINGTON (8-3, 3-0 GNAC)
Dickson 7-14 0-0 17, Jasinsky 4-11 4-6 12, Hommes 7-15 1-1 17, Schilder 3-4 0-1 6, Drechsel 8-13 8-9 27, Kingma 1-2 0-0 3, Fernandez 1-1 0-0 2, Rojas 1-2 0-0 2, Wallace 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 32-62 13-17 86.
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (6-4, 1-2 GNAC)
Miller 7-16 7-9 23, Streufert 2-5 2-6 6, Wooten 1-6 0-0 2, Colosimo 1-6 0-0 3, Long 1-2 4-4 7, Eisenhower 6-8 0-0 16, Cavell 5-10 2-2 12, Olsen 2-5 6-7 11, Lizotte 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 25-61 21-28 80.
 
Western Washington.... 41   45   -   86
Seattle Pacific....... 44   36   -   80
 
3-point goals--WWU 9-20 (Dickson 3-5, Drechsel 3-5, Hommes 2-4, Kingma 1-1, Rojas 0-1, Jasinsky 0-4), SPU 9-23 (Eisenhower 4-5, Miller 2-5, Long 1-1, Olsen 1-1, Colosimo 1-4, Lizotte 0-2, Wooten 0-2, Streufert 0-1, Cavell 0-2). Fouled out--WWU-None, SPU-Colosimo. Rebounds--WWU 33 (Hommes 9), SPU 34 (Streufert 11). Assists--WWU 10 (Drechsel, Hommes 3), SPU 15 (Cavell 5). Total fouls—WWU 18, SPU 17. Technical fouls--WWU-None, SPU-None. A-947.
 
 
Next SPU Men's Basketball Game
Simon Fraser at Seattle Pacific
Saturday, Dec. 30, 7:00 p.m. PST
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.