MONDAY, DECEMBER 13
Seattle Pacific at Texas A&M-Commerce, 4:00 p.m. PST (6:00 pm CST)
The Fieldhouse / Commerce, Texas
       • Webcast:  https://lonestarconferencenetwork.com/tamuc/
       • LiveStats:  http://statb.us/b/372600
 
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15
Seattle Pacific at Southeastern Oklahoma State, 5:30 p.m. PST (7:30 pm CST)
Bloomer Sullivan Arena / Durant, Oklahoma
       • Webcast:  http://www.citylinktv.com/channel/durant-southeastern-sports/
       • LiveStats:  http://www.sidearmstats.com/se/mbball
 
MONDAY, DECEMBER 20
Puget Sound at Seattle Pacific, 3:00 p.m. PST
Iron Coaching Court at Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
(Proof of vaccination or negative COVID test required)
       • Webcast: https://www.youtube.com/user/SPUsports
       • LiveStats: www.sidearmstats.com/spu/mbball
       • Tickets: https://www.spufalcons.com/tickets
 
Three men's basketball games in an eight-day span conclude the non-conference portion of the schedule for Seattle Pacific (6-4, 1-1 GNAC). The first two contests come on a quick trip to the Midwest, beginning on Monday, Dec 13 at Texas A&M Commerce. Tip-off has been recently changed to 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time (6 p.m. Central) for the first meeting since 1999 between the undefeated Lions (6-0) and SPU. The Falcons travel to Durant on Wednesday, Dec. 15 for a matchup with Southeastern Oklahoma State. The Savage Storm (7-1) bring a seven-game winning streak into the 5:30 p.m. PST (7:30 CST) clash, their first ever encounter with SPU. The Falcons return home for their final non-league game, on Monday, Dec. 20 versus Puget Sound. Tip-off is 3:00 p.m. on Iron Coaching Court at Brougham Pavilion for the final pre-Christmas contest. SPU resumes Great Northwest Athletic Conference play on Dec. 30 at Alaska Anchorage.
 
Notable
Score first at your own risk! A strange trend reveals that the team scoring first has lost every game involving SPU this season. The Falcons conceded first in all six wins and got the first point in each of their four losses.
 
1,000-Point Scorers
Two players on the current roster have produced 1,000 career points in a Falcons uniform. Shooting guard Harry Cavell reached that milestone last season and currently ranks 14th among all-time SPU players with 1,281 career points. Point guard Divant'e Moffitt netted his 1,000th point on Nov. 13 and has increased that to 1,131 points, a figure that ranks No. 28 on the school scoring chart.
 
Dynamic Divant'e
Senior point guard Divant'e Moffitt tops the Falcons with 19.2 points per game and 3.9 assists. He surpassed the 1,000-point plateau on Nov. 13 and currently ranks No. 28 among all-time SPU scorers with 1,131 career points. The 2022 GNAC Preseason Player of the Year, Moffitt topped SPU with 17.6 points and 5.2 assists per game last season. That assist figure ranked 28th nationally among NCAA Division II players. Moffitt notched two 30-point performances in 2021, doubling his career total to four. He was honored as a unanimous first-team All-GNAC selection in 2020.

DIVANT'E MOFFITT INTERVIEW

Falcons Fast Facts
• Sophomore guard Zack Paulsen posted SPU's only double-double, on Nov. 12 (19 points/11 rebounds)

• Paulsen & Mehdi El Mardi (10 vs Chico State on Nov. 13) have the only double-digit rebound games

• Divant'e Moffitt was named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Preseason Player of the Year and joined Harry Cavell and Shaw Anderson on the 15-man All-GNAC Preseason team

• SPU was the most accurate NCAA D-II free shooting team in both 2020 (80.5%) and 2021 (84.2%)

• Harry Cavell is the 11th player in SPU history to compile both 1,000 points and 500 rebounds

• Shaw Anderson returns after missing last season. He was the 2020 GNAC Freshman of the Year after averaging 12.8 points on 55-percent shooting, including 56.3% accuracy on 3-pointers (58-103)

• 3 Falcons have a 30-point game in their career:  Divant'e Moffitt, Harry Cavell, & Shaw Anderson
 
Scouting Texas A&M Commerce (6-0, 0-0 Lone Star Conference)
The Lions will join the Southland Conference in July to begin a four-year transition to NCAA Division I. Commerce is undefeated and the last two were two-point wins, at Dallas Baptist (72-70) and versus Oklahoma Christian (65-63). TAMC won all five of its home games. Jairus Roberson a 6-foot-3 senior guard, tops five double-digit scorers with a 15.0-point average. He shoots 48 percent on treys (25 of 52). The all-time series is tied 1-1 with the Lions winning the first meeting 86-79 on Nov. 26, 1999 in Bellingham, Wash. SPU was a 78-62 winner in the rematch on Dec. 28, 2001 in Seattle.
 
Scouting Southeastern Oklahoma State (7-1, 3-0 Great American Conference)
After a 79-78 loss in its opener versus MSU Moorhead, the Savage Storm reeled off seven straight victories. The high-scoring duo of Jett Sternberger (21.1 ppg) and Ante Brzovic (16.1) pace five double-figure scorers for Southeastern, which is outscoring opponents by a 90.1 to 73.4 average. Wednesday marks the first ever meeting in men's basketball between the Storm and SPU.
 
Scouting Puget Sound (4-6, 1-1 Northwest Conference)
The NCAA Division III Loggers are led by the 20.7-point average of Paul Johnson who shoots 42 percent from 3-point range (20 of 48). UPS and SPU have one common opponent. Northwest (Wash.) University beat UPS 70-66 on Nov. 17 in Kirkland and lost 89-71 at SPU on Dec. 8. Puget Sound visited the Falcons' GNAC rival Saint Martin's on Dec. 8 and lost 91-33. The Loggers lead the all-time series 50-36 despite losing the last five encounters. Their last win over SPU was a 96-63 decision on Dec. 30, 1994 in Tacoma. The teams last me on Dec. 20, 2019 in Seattle and the Falcons emerged as 103-74 victors.
 
2022 Season Preview
Seattle Pacific was a unanimous choice to win the 2022 Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship in the coaches poll released Oct. 15 and for good reason. All five starters return from last season's 10-3 team, including the team's top-10 point producers. The Falcons feature Preseason Player of the Year selection Divant'e Moffitt along with projected all-conference candidates Shaw Anderson and Harry Cavell. Moffitt, a 2020 All-West Region honoree, topped the team with 17.6 points and 5.2 assists per game last season. Cavell scored at a 16.7-point clip and led the Falcons with 7.2 rebounds in 2021. Anderson missed all last year after receiving the 2020 GNAC Freshman of the Year award. They are joined by returning starters at guard, Sharif Khan (9.9 ppg), Zack Paulsen (9.6), and center Mehdi El Mardi (7.6). While limited to eight games, forward Kelton Samore averaged 10.3 points when healthy. "We have so many returning players, 14 of them. They are just hungry to compete and play, and play in front of people again and be a part of what is means to be a basketball player at SPU and have that experience," said Coach Grant Leep.
 
 

Shaw Returns
Shaw Anderson, the 2020 GNAC Freshman of the Year, returns to the court after missing last season. His return was triumphant, pouring in 24 points to lead all scorers in the 76-65 home exhibition victory over Lincoln (Calif.) University on Oct. 30. Anderson was a two-time GNAC Player of the Week (Jan. 6 & Jan. 13) in 2020. He averaged 12.8 points while shooting 55 percent from the field. The 6-foot-6 forward was even better outside the arc, nailing 56.3 percent of his 3-pointers (58 of 103). Anderson compiled a streak off 11 straight successful 3-pointers from Jan. 30 to Feb. 8, 2020. He netted a career-high 34 points at Western Oregon (Jan. 11, 2020). Anderson posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds vs. CWU on Feb. 29, 2020.
 
Coach Leep
The GNAC's 2020 Coach of the Year Grant Leep, 42, is in his sixth season directing the SPU men's basketball program after seven years as an assistant on the Falcons staff. He has an 89-49 career record. Leep coached the 2021 to a 10-3 record over a schedule abbreviated due to the COVID outbreak. The 2020 team's 22-7 record featured a 14-game winning streak. His Falcons won the 2020 GNAC regular-season championship and qualified for the cancelled NCAA West Regional as the No. 5 seed. Leep has strong basketball ties throughout the Northwest as an All-America player at Mount Vernon (Wash.) High School before lettering four years at Washington. Leep still owns the Huskies 3-point accuracy records for a season (52.7% in 2002) and career (42.9%). His coaching resumé includes stops at Eastern Washington and a pair of community colleges. SPU had a 165-51 (.764) record during his time as an assistant.
 
2021 Season Review
The same five starters opened every game last season and all of them are back in 2021-22. The Falcons won their final five games en route to a 10-3 overall record against an abbreviated slate of opponents. Last season's schedule took place entirely from January through the first week of March and there was no GNAC season. The NCAA conducted playoffs in 2021, but SPU was not permitted to travel out of state so could not participate. Divant'e Moffitt led the team with 17.6 points and 5.2 assists per game while Harry Cavell scored at a 16.7-point clip with 7.2 rebounds.
 
Brougham Pavilion Entry Policies
Fans are welcome back to Brougham Pavilion. In compliance with King County guidelines, spectators 12-years-of-age and older attending SPU athletic events are required to provide proof of full vaccination or present a negative COVID-19 test. Before purchasing or picking up tickets at venue Will Call windows, attendees must show evidence of vaccination. Acceptable forms of proof include a CDC-issued Vaccination Record Card, a photo of the card, the Washington state myIRmobile.com app or a document from a health care provider. Those who cannot provide proof of vaccination may instead present documentation of a negative FDA-approved COVID-19 test administered by a professional and dated within 72 hours of the event. Mask wearing is mandatory at all times and spectators are encouraged to social distance when possible. Save the wait in line and obtain your SPU basketball tickets in advance by purchasing them online at -- www.spufalcons.com/tickets