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• VIDEO: Gavin  Long dunk
• VIDEO: Shaw  Anderson interview
• PHOTO GALLERY

SEATTLE -- Freshman Shaw Anderson erupted for 33 points Saturday for Seattle Pacific which won its eighth straight game, 86-68 over Alaska Fairbanks, to claim sole possession of first place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball standings.
 
The 6-foot-6 forward from Kelso (Wash.) High School nailed 4 of 5 shots from 3-point range and shot 12-for-16 overall from the field en route to the highest scoring output of the season for a Falcon.
 
Anderson's previous high game as a collegian was a 20-point effort at Sonoma State on Nov. 26.
 
"One of the things that we absolutely loved about Shaw coming out of high school was that he is such a matchup problem. He really showed that tonight," SPU coach Grant Leep exclaimed. "He can play inside, he can play out.
 
"We can move him all over our offense and the kid can flat-out put the ball in the basket. And his best ball is still in front of him. We love where he's at in his development. He's been working really hard and getting some results for it."
 
The prolific scoring night by Anderson marked SPU's first 30-point performance in nearly three years.
 
Tony Miller, now playing at Washington State, was the last Falcon to reach the 30-point plateau with 33 versus Saint Martin's on Feb. 14, 2017.
 
Top of the Table
Saturday's combatants entered as the only teams in the GNAC with unblemished league ledgers. The Falcons (8-4) preserved their perfect record, improving to 4-0 in conference outings to keep first place for themselves.
 
"One of the goals that our team has is that we want to win our league," Leep said. "Our league is so tough and so deep. The two teams that we played this week are really good.
 
"With the matchup problems and the challenges that Fairbanks presents, we really had to be ready to hook it up and go today. We got off to such a great start. It was a good, solid team effort and everybody that played did something positive to help us win."
 
Falcons are Streaking
Since starting the season with four straight setbacks, SPU has reeled off eight consecutive victories, including Thursday's 83-76 home win over Alaska Anchorage behind 18 points and five assists from Divant'e Moffitt.
 
Against Fairbanks, Moffitt matched that assist total and added 14 points. Gavin Long equaled that 14-point figure and provided the highlight of the second half with a drive and devastating dunk three minutes after intermission.

GAVIN LONG DUNK

Harry Cavell chipped in eight points and led the Falcons' 38-26 board advantage with 10 rebounds.
 
SPU registered 53-percent shooting accuracy (32 of 61) and made 11 of 28 trey tries while holding Fairbanks at 35 percent (21 of 60) and 4-for-20 on 3-pointers.
 
Slowing Shabazz
The Nanooks (4-8) kept contact on the strength of stellar shooting from the free throw line where they outscored their hosts by 11 points. They converted 22 of 23 charity shots.
 
UAF, which dropped to 3-1 in GNAC play, was led by the 17 points of Alex Sommerfield and Koby Huerta had 14.
 
Shadeed Shabazz was held seven points under the league-leading 22.5-point average he carried into the contest. Nine of his points came from the free throw line and he made just 3-for-17 attempts from the field.
 
"He's is a very special player and I was very proud of our group tonight with their effort. We put three guys rotating through that matchup," Leep described. "We started Divant'e with him and Divant'e did a terrific job of making him play to his right hand. When Harry was matchup up to him it's a different look because Harry is so long and athletic. Then Gavin is so solid and did a great job.
 
"The only one I wish we could have back is the time we fouled Shabazz shooting a 3-point shot. For a guy averaging 22, to have to get his 15 points on 17 field goal attempts, we'll sign up for that any day of the week."
 
A product of Seattle's Rainier Beach High School, Shabazz didn't score a basket for nearly 33 minutes, until a jumper from just inside the top of the key swished in with 7:44 left to play. He had missed his first nine shots up to that point.
 
Spectacular Start
SPU broke Saturday's game open early, constructing leads of 10-0, 17-3 and 26-11.
 
Anderson compiled 15 first-half points, on 6-for-8 shooting. He provided the Falcons' largest first-half lead, at 39-22, with a running jumper and subsequent free throw 2:20 before halftime.
 
Fairbanks failed to score on its opening five possessions and the Falcons capitalized, building a 10-0 lead. Anderson tallied five points during the starting spree that Jacob Medjo capped with a 3-pointer with 17:12 showing on the clock.
 
The visitors finally got on the scoreboard 3:15 into the game on a trio of free throws from Shabazz.
 
The Nanooks didn't record a basket until 6-minutes, 25-seconds had expired when Sommerfield nailed a 3-pointer to trim the deficit to 17-9. Prior to that, UAF missed its first 12 shots from the field.
 
SPU continued to expand that margin to 43-26 by halftime. The Falcons shot 53 percent (17 of 32) in the opening period while limiting the Nanooks to 30-percent accuracy (10 of 33).
 
SHAW ANDERSON INTERVIEW

Second-Half Summary
In the second half, Seattle Pacific's lead grew to as many as 24 points, at 71-47, after jumper by Anderson with 8:24 left to play.
 
The Nanooks responded with a 17-5 run, mounting a late rally that drew them within 76-64 after Shabazz sank two free throws with 3:17 remaining. Anderson answered with a three-point play and, on the next possession, a pair of free throws to turn back the comeback bid.
 
Next Games
The SPU men hit the road for their next three games, beginning on Thursday at Concordia-Portland. Tip-off is 7:30 p.m. Pacific Time at LCEF Court.
 
"Our team has been great on the road all year and we'll approach these next three games just like we would any other game," Leep said. "The things that we do well, those travel with us.
 
"We have depth, we don't miss a beat when we put guys in off the bench for our starters. The level of play continues to be high. Our guys are so locked into what we're doing and what our identity as a group is right now and that will travel with us anywhere that we go."
 
The Falcons' next home game is Jan. 18 at 2 p.m. versus Montana State Billings.
 
NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
at Seattle Pacific 86, Alaska Fairbanks 68
 
ALASKA FAIRBANKS (4-8, 3-1 GNAC)
Kachjaani 0-3 0-0 0, Shabazz 3-17 9-9 15, Sweet 3-8 3-4 9, Daugharty 1-1 4-4 6, Huerta 5-13 4-4 14, Sommerfield 6-11 2-2 17, Hatch 2-3 0-0 5, Banks 1-3 0-0 2, Howard 0-0 0-0 0, McCullough 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-60 22-23 68.
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (8-4, 4-0 GNAC)
Anderson 12-16 5-6 33, Fullerton 1-2 1-1 3, Cavell 3-8 0-0 8, Moffitt 6-12 1-2 14, Long 5-8 4-4 14, Colosimo 2-4 0-0 6, Medjo 2-6 0-0 5, Olsen 1-3 0-0 3, El Mardi 0-0 0-0 0, Khan 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 32-61 11-13 86.
 
Alaska Fairbanks..............   26   42  -   68
Seattle Pacific...............   43   43  -   86
 
3-point goals--UAF 4-20 (Sommerfield 3-7, Hatch 1-2, Huerta 0-3, Sweet 0-4, Shabazz 0-4), SPU 11-28 (Anderson 4-5, Cavell 2-6, Colosimo 2-4, Olsen 1-2, Medjo 1-5, Moffitt 1-3, Khan 0-2, Long 0-1). Fouled out--UAF-None, SPU-None. Rebounds--UAF 26 (Daugharty 6), SPU 38 (Cavell 10). Assists--UAF 9 (Sweet, Shabazz, McCullough 2), SPU 15 (Moffitt 5). Total fouls--UAF 16, SPU 19. Technical fouls--UAF-None, SPU-None. A-450.
 
 
Next SPU Men's Basketball Game
Seattle Pacific at Concordia-Portland
Thursday, Jan. 9, 7:30 p.m. PST
LCEF Court / Portland, Ore.