Box Score    |    Final Stats    |    VIDEO: Hunter  Eisenhower

SEATTLE – A fluid offense helped the Falcons drain more shots.
 
Tony Miller compiled 19 of his game-high 24 points during the first half Thursday for Seattle Pacific, which gained control early en route to an 83-68 home victory over Northwest Nazarene in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball game at Brougham Pavilion.
 
The Falcons (10-13) stopped a three-game losing streak and improved to 6-9 in league play. They evened the season series with NNU (11-10), which won this year's first meeting 85-80 on Jan. 14 in Nampa, Idaho. The Crusaders are now 8-7 in GNAC games.
 
"Our guys had some fun tonight," said first-year SPU coach Grant Leep. "The ball was moving, everybody touched it and guys weren't holding it. Our players were moving with purpose, they were moving at the right speed and right rhythm and pace.
 
"When we do that we find some really good stuff. That offensive energy fuels our defense and we are able to get into a really good game flow."
 


Miller (Woodinville HS) converted 4 of his first 5 shots, including a high-flying baseline dunk four minutes into the contest. He then hit back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Falcons ahead 17-7 with 14:29 left in the half.
 
In that opening stretch, Miller was outscoring NNU by himself, 10-7.
 
The Crusaders tallied the next six points to draw within 17-13, but they would never get closer than three points the rest of the way.
 
SPU later reeled off seven straight points to ignite a 13-4 run to close the half and claim a 40-27 advantage at intermission.
 
Miller's 19 first-half points came on 8-for-11 shooting that sparked the Falcons' 50-percent accuracy from the floor (15 of 30).
 
"Tony just gets going and he can score from so many different spots on the floor," Leep said. "Our guys did a nice job of finding him and he had a great percentage. When he takes the right shots he is really good."

 

A 6-foot-6 freshman forward, Miller registered his team-leading 21st double-figure scoring game. He has 10 games of 20-or-more points to tie for team-high honors in that category.
 
Miller did have his four-game streak of double-doubles halted after being limited to four rebounds. He leads the GNAC, and ranks No. 7 nationally, with 12 double-doubles this season.
 
NNU was held to 37-percent shooting (11 of 30) in the opening 20-minute session Thursday.
 
The differential never got smaller than 13 points during the second half and grew to as many as 22 after Hunter Eisenhower drilled the last of his three 3-pointers, producing a 69-47 margin with 8:52 remaining.
 
Joe Rasmussen (Mercer Island HS) added 15 points for SPU and Coleman Wooten (Tahoma HS) had 14.
 
Bouna N'Diaye netted 17 points to pace the Crusaders. Kaileb Rodriguez scored 14, including seven of the visitor's opening nine points, and Maurice Jones contributed a 12-point, 14-rebound double-double.
 
For the game, the Falcons shot 52 percent (27 of 52) and were 11-for-23 on treys. They held NNU to 39-percent shooting (23 of 59) and just 5 of 21 on 3-point tries.
 
The unselfish hosts were credited with 17 assists on their 27 baskets, led by six from Olivier-Paul Betu. They committed just 10 turnovers, equaling a season low.
 
"We'll take that," Leep exclaimed about his Falcons' highest assist total since Dec. 3. "There were only four games in which we had more assists than turnovers this year. The turnover issues are something that we addressed and we've been trying to find a way to break through. Tonight our guys did such a great job of moving the ball. They trusted one another and they found the open man.
 
"We passed up a lot of good shots for great shots. We're not any better shooters tonight than we were last week, but we got better shots."
 
The SPU men remain in Seattle to play their final two Brougham Pavilion games of the season. They host Central Washington on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in the nightcap of a doubleheader with the women, who play at 2 p.m.
 
The Falcons close out their home schedule on Tuesday at 7 p.m. against Saint Martin's. That will be Senior Night as four SPU seniors will be honored in a ceremony before the game.
 
 
NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL
Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
at Seattle Pacific 83, Northwest Nazarene 68
 
NORTHWEST NAZARENE (11-10, 8-7 GNAC)
Rodriguez 6-11 2-4 14, Jones 4-15 3-6 12, Olivier 2-5 0-0 5, Bezzant 1-8 0-0 2, N'Diaye 4-11 9-11 17, Prvulj 2-2 0-0 5, Garcia 1-2 2-3 4, Lepovic 1-2 0-0 3, Brink 1-1 0-0 3, Adetunji 1-2 1-2 3. Totals 23-59 17-26 68.
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (10-13, 6-9 GNAC)
Wooten 4-7 3-6 14, Miller 9-15 3-8 24, Rasmussen 4-6 6-8 15, Betu 1-2 0-2 2, Long 3-7 1-2 8, Eisenhower 3-5 0-0 9, Streufert 1-5 3-4 5, Khan 1-3 2-2 4, Poulsen 1-1 0-0 2, Bench 0-0 0-0 0, Van Dyken 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 27-52 18-32 83.
 
Northwest Nazarene.....27   41  --  68
Seattle Pacific........40   43  --  83
 
3-point goals--NNU 5-21 (Olivier 1-4, Prvulj 1-1, Brink 1-1, Lepovic 1-2, Jones 1-6, Bezzant 0-4, N'Diaye 0-3), SPU 11-23 (Wooten 3-6, Eisenhower 3-5, Miller 3-4, Rasmussen 1-3, Long 1-3, Khan 0-1, Streufert 0-1). Fouled out—NNU-Jones, Rodriguez, Garcia, SPU-None. Rebounds--NNU 35 (Jones 14), SPU 35 (Streufert, Wooten 7). Assists--NNU 5 (Olivier 2), SPU 17 (Betu 6). Total fouls--NNU 27, SPU 19. Technical fouls--NNU-None, SPU-None. A-312.
 
 
Next SPU Men's Basketball Game
Central Washington at Seattle Pacific
Saturday, Feb. 11, 4:30 p.m. PST
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.