SEATTLE -- The Falcons' fortitude spoke volumes Thursday night. Their incredible comeback left Coach Grant Leep nearly speechless.
 
Harry Cavell compiled 17 points on near-perfect shooting, including the go-ahead basket that completed Seattle Pacific's remarkable rally from a 26-point deficit to defeat Northwest Nazarene, 72-70, in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball contest.
 
After the hosts trailed for nearly 33 minutes, Shaw Anderson drained a 3-pointer from the left corner with 3:52 left to play to fulfill the comeback from 37-11 down to level the score, 67-67.
 
That ignited a seven-point run that provided a 71-67 lead with 1:54 remaining. Cavell's turn-around jumper put SPU ahead for the first time since the third minute and Divant'e Moffitt capped that stretch with a short, running banker.
 
Ezekiel Alley answered to bring NNU within 71-70 on a tip-in of a missed 3-pointer by teammate Olamilekan Adetunji. Alley was fouled on the putback and sank the subsequent free throw.
 
But the Nighthawks committed offensive blocking fouls on their last two possessions and Moffit converted the first of two free throws to set the final score in SPU's favor on Iron Coaching Court at Brougham Pavilion.
 
"I honestly don't know what to say, I'm still reeling from what happened," Leep stammered. "To be in the position that we were in and then get the result that we did, I just can't speak highly enough about the traits that our group showed tonight with their grittiness, their toughness and their togetherness.
 
"After that, we should never feel like we're out of a game again."
 
HARRY  CAVELL INTERVIEW

The first-place Falcons (21-6) improved their league ledger to 17-2.
 
Northwest Nazarene (15-9) entered one-half game out of second place before having its three-game winning streak snapped to drop to 12-7 in GNAC play.
 
Cavell hit 7 of 9 shots from the field, including 2-for-3 accuracy on 3-pointers. Moffitt finished with 20 points and six assists for SPU, which also got a career-high 12 points from red-shirt freshman forward Jacob Medjo in his first collegiate start.
 
SPU shot 55 percent in the second half (16 of 29) to improve to 49 percent for the game (27 of 55). A 7-for-10 second half beyond the arc moved its game total to 9 of 19.
 
Alley paced the Nighthawks with 22 points, Jeyden Bezzant had 11 and Adalberto Diaz 10.
 
NNU completed the game at an even 50 percent (29 of 58) from the field, but shot just 35 percent after halftime (10 of 29).
 
First-Half Hole
Five quick points from Cavell, on a trey followed by a steal and fastbreak layup, put the Falcons up 5-0 to open the game.
 
After missing their first three shots, the Nighthawks got on a major roll. They made 10 consecutive shots, all of them from inside the key except of one 3-pointer.
 
Meanwhile, SPU scored on just one of nine possessions, a layup by Mehdi El Mardi off a pass from Moffitt with 15:20 showing on the clock. That stopped an 11-point spree by the Nighthawks who proceeded to net the next 10 points.
 
The 21-2 surge produced a 21-7 advantage for NNU. Moffitt stopped that run on a jumper that just beat the shot clock, but the Nighthawks reeled off 12 unanswered points.
 
Coming Back from Biggest Deficit
Northwest Nazarene's 26-point lead, at 37-11 with 6:38 left in the first half, formed the largest deficit the Falcons faced all season.
 
The hosts began chipping away at that margin, closing with a 20-8 run over the final six minutes of the period sparked by 10 points from Moffitt during that span.
 
Moffitt also made an impact with his passing, finding Cavell underneath with a one-handed fling for a layup and free throw after being fouled with 15.1 seconds on the clock. That drew the Falcons within 45-31 at halftime.
 
Keying the late SPU run was a defense that forced five turnovers and cooled the torrid Nighthawks who were shooting at an 81-percent clip by the midway mark of the first half.
 
NNU finished the half at 66 percent (19 of 29) from the floor, nailing 5 of 10 treys. Struggling at 16 percent early, the Falcons increased that figure to 42 percent (11 of 26) by intermission.
 
"We found a little rhythm on offense and it was a more manageable lead at halftime," Leep said. "In our locker room at the half we talked about our defense. They shot 65 percent and we gave up 45 points in the first half. It's really hard to win when you do those things.
 
"We just needed to do a better job of executing our defense. To our guys credit, they did."
 
HARRY  CAVELL DUNK

Second-Half Summary
The continuation of the comeback was never easy in the second half. The Falcons chipped away at the deficit, never managing to string together more than eight straight points.
 
A driving layup by Alley gave NNU a 56-40 margin with 12:57 left to play.
 
Backup point guard Braden Olsen sparked SPU with six straight points, all of them coming on layups from fastbreaks or drives through heavy traffic.
 
Then it was Gabe Colosimo's turn to shine as he notched a pair of 3-pointers inside a two-minute span. The second was followed by a trey from Medjo and a layup from Anderson that narrowed the gap to 65-64 with 5:10 remaining.
 
Diaz created a layup for the Nighthawks, but that only temporarily delayed the comeback as Anderson's tying trey followed, beginning the game-closing 8-3 run that sealed the improbable outcome.
 
"I'm really proud of how they fought, how they stayed together, how they didn't get down on themselves and turned that thing around," Leep exclaimed.
 
Next Game
The SPU men conclude the regular season at home on Saturday when Central Washington visits for a 4:15 p.m. contest. Seniors Gabe Colosimo and Gavin Long will be honored with a brief ceremony prior to tip-off at Brougham Pavilion.
 
"We'll have a little jolt of emotional energy with that being Gabe and Gavin's Senior Day in Royal Brougham," said Leep. "Hopefully that will set our focus as we try to honor those guys the right way."
 
Seattle Pacific has already secured the No. 1 seed for the GNAC Tournament that will be contested March 5-7 at Brougham Pavilion.
 
NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL
Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
at Seattle Pacific 72, Northwest Nazarene 70
 
Northwest Nazarene (15-9, 12-7 GNAC)
Diaz 4-8 0-0 10, Reidy 2-7 3-5 7, Alley 9-20 2-2 22, Adetunji 3-4 1-2 7, Roth 3-7 0-0 6, Bezzant 5-8 0-0 11, Murphy 2-3 0-0 4, Fox 1-1 0-0 3, White 0-0 0-0 0, Furgerson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-58 6-9 70.
 
Seattle Pacific (21-6, 17-2 GNAC)
Medjo 4-11 1-2 12, Anderson 2-6 0-0 5, Cavell 7-9 1-1 17, Moffitt 7-14 6-7 20, Colosimo 2-4 0-0 6, Olsen 3-8 1-2 7, Khan 1-1 0-0 3, El Mardi 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 27-55 9-12 72.
 
Northwest Nazarene           45     25    -- 70
Seattle Pacific              31     41    -- 72
 
3-point goals--NNU 6-16 (Diaz 2-3, Alley 2-7, Bezzant 1-2, Fox 1-1, Roth 0-2, Adetunji 0-1), SPU 9-19 (Medjo 3-9, Cavell 2-3, Colosimo 2-3, Khan 1-1, Anderson 1-3). Fouled out--NNU-None, SPU-None. Rebounds--NNU 34 (Diaz 10), SPU 26 (Medjo, Moffitt, Cavell, Colosimo 4). Assists--NNU 11 (Bezzant 4), SPU 13 (Moffitt 6). Turnovers--NNU 17, SPU 13. Total fouls--NNU 21, SPU 12. Technical fouls--None. Att.-412.
 
Next SPU Men's Basketball Game
Central Washington at Seattle Pacific
Saturday, Feb. 29, 4:15 p.m. PST
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.