Box Score    |    Final Stats

MONMOUTH, Ore. – A hyperactive, hyper-productive Tanner Omlid combined with Seattle Pacific's bountiful ball-handling miscues made for more of the same for the Falcons on the road Saturday night.
 
Omlid's triple-double totals of 18 points, 15 rebounds and school and conference-record 11 steals proved too much for SPU to overcome in absorbing a fifth straight road loss, 84-70, at the New PE Building in a regionally televised matchup on ROOT Sports.
 
With their third consecutive loss the Falcons (9-13) dropped to 5-9 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Western Oregon (13-9) won its fifth in a row to sweep the season series and remain among the GNAC top three at 10-4.
 
A pair of freshman paced SPU. Gavin Long pumped in a season-high 25 points, with Tony Miller posting his league-leading 12th double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds.
 
Omlid, the 6-3 junior who torched the Falcons for 34 points a month ago in Seattle, proved an ever-present nemesis for the visitors. His ball-hawking led directly to five transition baskets off steals; four by Omlid. In all, the Wolves stole the ball 20 times.
 
The Falcons' 23 turnovers is just one shy of their season high, committed nine days ago versus Alaska Fairbanks. The two teams had entered the contest at opposite ends of the GNAC turnover margin table, WOU at nearly plus-4.
 
Western Oregon only trailed for a few seconds early on and never allowed SPU to come closer than five points in the final 25 minutes.
 
Oliver-Paul Betu's transition basket trimmed an 11-point deficit to 49-44, but WOU responded with an 11-2 spurt featuring three jumpers by Yanick Kulich, the last one widening the gap to 60-46 with 10:33 remaining. By that juncture Omlid–who then went to the bench with his fourth foul–had already secured his triple-double.
 
In addition to Omlid's heroics, Ali Faruq-Bey and JJ Chirnside each had 17 points for the Wolves.
 
Despite a cold start, Western heated up (60 percent) in the second half, finishing 32 of 64 from the field. The Falcons were 13 of 29 (45 percent), with Long 9 of 14. They made just 4 of 21 three-point attempts.
 
It was another frustrating evening for SPU, which was plagued by poor shooting in the latter stages of Thursday's 81-71 loss at Concordia. The Falcons, who missed 13 straight from the field in Portland, started 0-7 from the floor on Saturday. It was an ugly opening 10 minutes and Western Oregon was not much better. The two teams combined to miss 24 of 32 field-goal attempts while committing 12 turnovers. Then the Wolves broke open the contest.
 
Omlid converted a pair of steals into breakaway stuffs while Demetrius Tanner connected on the game's first three-pointer, all for a 30-19 lead. Omlid had six steals at the break and WOU converted 12 SPU turnovers in 12 points. Western also had a 12-0 advantage in fastbreak points.
 
Miller and Long managed to keep the visitors in contention, but SPU shot just 10 of 30, including 2 of 12 on threes.
 
SPU is back in Brougham Pavilion for a three-game homestand, beginning Thursday versus Northwest Nazarene. Tip-off is 5:15 p.m.
 
 
NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, Feb. 4, 2017
New P.E. Building / Monmouth, Ore.
 
at Western Oregon 84, Seattle Pacific 70
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (9-13, 5-9 GNAC)
Wooten 5-17 4-4 14, Miller 5-11 6-6 18, Rasmussen 2-7 2-3 7, Betu 1-2 0-1 2, Long 9-14 6-8 25, Streufert 1-4 1-3 3, Khan 0-3 1-2 1. Totals 23-58 20-27 70.
 
WESTERN OREGON (13-9, 10-4 GNAC)
Omlid 7-16 3-4 18, Chirnside 6-9 5-5 17, Reese 2-4 0-1 5; Garrison 0-0 0-0 0, Faruq-Bey 6-11 5-7 17, Trammell 4-11 1-1 11, Kulich 4-5 0-0 8, Edwards 2-3 0-0 4, Leaks 1-3 0-0 3, Thompson 0-1 1-2 1, Berg 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 32-64 15-20 84.
 
Seattle Pacific.......31   39  --  70
Western Oregon....  ..40   44  --  84
 
3-point goals--SPU 4-21 (Miller 2-4, Rasmussen 1-5, Long 1-2, Khan 0-2, Streufert 0-1, Wooten 0-7), WOU 5-17 (Trammell 2-6, Omlid 1-4, Reese 1-2, Leaks 1-3, Chirnside 0-2). Fouled out--SPU-None, WOU-None. Rebounds--SPU 40 (Miller 12), WOU 35 (Omlid 15). Assists--SPU 14 (Wooten 4), WOU 14 (Omlid 7). Total fouls--SPU 19, WOU 21. Technical fouls--SPU-None, WOU-None. A-949.
 
 
Next SPU Men's Basketball Game
Northwest Nazarene at Seattle Pacific
Thursday, Feb. 9, 5:15 p.m. PST
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.