• FINAL STATS (html)

MONMOUTH, Ore. – Darius Lubom came off the bench to score a game-high 18 points Saturday, including three free throws inside the final 20 seconds to secure Western Oregon's 73-71 Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball victory that stopped Seattle Pacific's seven-game winning streak.
 
The Falcons (9-4) lost for the first time since November 29 and fell to 6-2 in league play. The setback at the New PE Building was their first road defeat in five outings this season.
 
Consecutive three-point plays by Gavin Long and Divant'e Moffitt drew SPU within 69-68 with 22.5 seconds left to play. Lubom nailed two free throws with 19.7 seconds remaining and the Falcons came up empty on the ensuing possession after Moffitt was whistled for traveling.
 
Stepping to the line again with 10.2 seconds remaining, Lubom hit the first of two free throws. Sam Simpson drained a contested 3-pointer from the right side with 1.6 seconds showing on the clock to close SPU's deficit to 72-71.
 
Western's Kaleb Warner made the second of two free throws with 1.2 seconds left to set the final score. The Falcons quickly inbounded with a length of the floor pass, but Sam Simpson was knocked down near the free throw line and the ball trickled loose as time expired.
 
Simpson scored 16 points to lead all SPU scorers. The senior reserve forward did not play in Thursday's 80-78 victory at Concordia-Portland as he was taking the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).
 
Long pitched in 14 points for the Falcons and Moffitt had 10. Coleman Wooten scored eight points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the visitors 40-32 advantage on the boards.
 
SPU lost despite more accurate shooting, hitting 48 percent (24 of 50) while holding the Wolves at 39 percent (25 of 64).
 
The difference was turnovers as the Falcons committed 16 of them, 11 more than their hosts. WOU parlayed that into an 18-7 edge in points off turnovers. Ten of SPU's miscues came during the second half.
 
Western (13-4) continued its recent dominance of the Falcons, winning for the 10th straight time in the series. The Wolves improved to 6-2 in GNAC games.
 
Joining Lubom in double-figures for WOU were Warner with 13 and Buster Souza with 12.
 
The taut game featured 12 ties and 17 lead changes and neither team led by more than seven points. The decisive stretch came midway through the second half.
 
The Falcons gained their final lead, at 54-53, on a 3-pointer by Simpson with 10:27 left in the game. They went the next nine possessions without a basket, missing six shots and committing five turnovers in that span.
 
Western capitalized with an 8-1 run, that produced a 61-55 lead at the 4:58 mark, and then held off the late SPU comeback attempt.
 
The back-and-forth first half had 14 leads changes and three ties and the teams were never separated by more than four points
 
Trailing 11-7 early, WOU inserted Souza into the game and he paid immediate dividends. The reserve forward made consecutive layups to level the score. He drained his first four shots before finally missing and both his third and fourth field goals gave the Wolves one-point leads.
 
The longest scoring run by either team was a six-point surge by SPU late in the period, including two baskets by Wooten that provided a 31-27 edge.
 
The Wolves reclaimed the lead, at 32-31, less than one minute later on a 3-pointer and driving layup by Lubom. The backup guard netted seven first-half points and Souza had eight to lead WOU's 24-10 advantage in bench points before halftime.
 
After an exchange of free throws, the Falcons tallied the final five points to produce a 38-34 lead at intermission. Simpson got a three-point play on a putback layup and free throw and Moffitt converted to free throws to cap the scoring.
 
The two best defenses in the GNAC held the opposing offenses under 50 percent throughout the opening 20 minutes. SPU shot 48 percent (13 of 27) and Western 41 percent (14 of 34).
 
The Falcons stay on the road for their third game in six days when they travel to Lacey, Washington on Tuesday, Jan. 22. They clash with 23rd-ranked Saint Martin's at 7 p.m.
 
 
NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, Jan. 17, 2019
New PE Building / Monmouth, Ore.
 
at Western Oregon 73, Seattle Pacific 71
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (9-4, 6-2 GNAC)
Wooten 4-9 0-3 8, Streufert 1-1 1-2 3, Cavell 4-6 0-0 9, Lizotte 2-6 2-2 8, Long 6-12 2-3 14, Simpson 4-9 5-7 16, Moffitt 2-3 6-7 10, Khan 1-3 0-0 3, Boone 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 24-50 16-24 71.
 
WESTERN OREGON (13-4, 6-2 GNAC)
Collins 1-6 2-2 5, Warner 4-10 3-4 13, Hawken 1-6 2-2 5, Evans 3-6 0-0 6, Brushier 1-6 2-3 5, Lubom 6-15 5-6 18, Souza 6-11 0-0 12, Cranston 1-1 2-2 5, Richardson 2-3 0-0 4, Baker 0-0 0-0 0, Berg 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-64 16-19 73.
 
Seattle Pacific.......38...33..--..71
Western Oregon........34...39..--..73
 
3-point goals--SPU 7-16 (Simpson 3-7, Lizotte 2-3, Khan 1-3, Cavell 1-1, Wooten 0-2), WOU 7-19 (Warner 2-4, Cranston 1-1, Lubom 1-4, Brushier 1-3, Collins 1-4, Hawken 1-3). Fouled out--SPU-Long, WOU-None. Rebounds--SPU 40 (Wooten 10), WOU 32 (Collins 7). Assists--SPU 10 (Lizotte 3), WOU 10 (Evans 3). Total fouls--SPU 19, WOU 23. Technical fouls--SPU-None, WOU-None. A-615.
 
 
Next SPU Men's Basketball Game
Seattle Pacific at (#23) Saint Martin's
Tuesday, Jan. 22, 7:00 p.m. PST
Marcus Pavilion / Lacey, Wash.