DURANT, Okla. -- Divant'e Moffitt's game-high 26 point, six-assist performance wasn't enough for Seattle Pacific, which fell behind late in the first half Wednesday and lost 81-69 to Southeastern Oklahoma State in a non-conference men's basketball game at Bloomer Sullivan Arena.
 
An unusual, season-long trend ended as Southeastern won after netting the opening points. The team that scored first had lost all 11 previous games involving SPU, which conceded the initial points in each of its seven victories.
 
Adam Dworsky's back-door layup 11 seconds into the contest marked the first time the Falcons have lost after a foe got on the board first.
 
Seattle Pacific (7-5) saw its three-game winning streak stop and lost for just the second time in the last eight outings.
 
"These were two very similar teams and one of them made a few more shots than the other one tonight," SPU coach Grant Leep said. "We did a really good job of executing our stuff and we just missed some open shots. They came down and, when they had the opportunity, hit them.
 
"I was so proud of how our guys competed all the way through. Never once did I feel like our guys let their foot off the gas at all, they kept the intensity up. That's a really good team that we played tonight and I think we are a really good team as well. But they were the better team tonight."
 
The Savage Storm (8-1) notched their eighth straight victory, dealing SPU its first double-digit defeat of the season. Southeastern led by as many as 18 points, the largest deficit the Falcons have faced.
 
SCORING SUMMARY
Moffitt nailed 10 of 15 shots from the floor, including 3-for-4 accuracy on 3-pointers. He posted a fifth 20-point performance with his second-best scoring output of the season. The 6-foot-2 senior point guard grabbed four rebounds.
 
"Divant'e did a nice job of getting into the paint and causing their defense to move and shift and then finding the right options," said Leep. "Shaw (Anderson) got off to a great start and as they started to close down some of those options, Divant'e took advantage of his ability to get into the paint and finish.
 
"He's really hard to guard and I love the efficiency that he played with. He had six assists as well and made really good decisions tonight."
 
Shaw Anderson added 17 points for the Falcons and 15 of them came during the opening half. He collected a team-high seven caroms for SPU, which was outrebounded by a 41-34 margin.
 
Harry Cavell contributed 10 points, five rebounds and four assists. Highlighting his night was a four-point play early in the second half.

HARRY CAVELL FOUR-POINT PLAY

The Falcons shot 38 percent (25 of 66) from the field and made 11 of 32 treys. They converted 8 of 9 free throws with the lone miss coming from Moffitt with 1:13 left in the game.
 
Southeastern countered with 48-percent accuracy (30 of 62) and 9-for-28 results from 3-point range.
 
Jett Sternberger paced the Storm with 19 points while Ante Brzovic contributed a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double.
 
Dworsky pitched in 14 points, Bobby Johnson scored 13 and Kellen Manek had eight points and 10 rebounds.
 
EARLY LEAD DISSOLVES
After falling behind 5-0 with just 40 seconds expired, the Falcons streaked into the lead on the strength of three consecutive 3-pointers by Anderson. The sophomore forward struck from the left side, right corner and top of the key to build a 9-5 edge for the visitors.
 
SPU's margin was 17-14 after Moffitt finished a driving layup with 14:15 left in the half.
 
That lead quickly disappeared as the Storm capitalized on a stretch of eight straight SPU missed field goals to forge a 15-2 run. Brzovic fueled the surge with six points.
 
The only interruption to the spree was two free throws from SPU's Cavell after the hosts first four points. Southeastern followed with nine unanswered points to go ahead 29-19 eight minutes before halftime.
 
The Falcons closed within six points on three occasions, but the margin increased inside the last four minutes. Six straight empty possessions ensued, with a turnover and five missed shots. That enabled the Storm to construct a 7-0 run and claim a 40-27 advantage.
 
A trey by Moffitt with 32 seconds showing on the clock drew SPU within 40-30, and that scoreline held into halftime.
 
Scoring inside the arc proved decisive during the opening 20 minutes as each team shot 4-for-13 on 3-pointers and was perfect on four free throw attempts.
 
Southeastern shot 50 percent, making 12 of 19 inside the arc. SPU made just 37 percent of its first-half shots with 7 of 17 accuracy on two-point tries.
 
 

Anderson and Moffitt combined for 26 of their team's 30 points before intermission. Anderson scored 15, including a trio of treys, and Moffitt had 11.
 
The rest of Falcons were 1-for-13 from the field with Syon Blackmon accounting for the lone basket in his only attempt. Cavell's pair of free throws were the only other points.
 
RALLIES REPELLED
Cavell followed a Moffitt 3-pointer with a four-point play that drew SPU within 42-37 less than three minutes into the second half. He swished a top-of-the-key trey and was fouled. His free throw completed the rare four-point sequence.
 
That marked the first of three times the Falcons closed within five points. The last came after an Anderson jumper cut the deficit to 53-48 with 13:40 left to play. The Storm scored the next five points.
 
SPU's Blackmon answered with a tip-in of his own miss for a 58-50 score with 11:42 remaining. The Falcons would go scoreless for the next 4-1/2 minutes, until Moffitt made a jumper with 7:11 displayed on the clock.
 
The Falcons came up empty on six trips down the floor and Southeastern converted four of five possessions to ignite a 10-point surge. That run produced a 68-50 lead that was never seriously threatened.
 
FALCONS FAST FACTS
• Harry Cavell moved into the No. 11 position among all-time SPU scorers, increasing his career total to 1,304 career points. He moved ahead of Mitch Penner (2013-16), who had 1,296 points. With 23 more points, Cavell will move into the top-10 and draw even with Chris Banchero (2008-11) who netted 1,327 career points.
 
• Divant'e Moffitt's 26-point performance pushed his career total to 1,166. He vaulted into the No. 23 spot among all-time Falcons, moving ahead of Jason Chivers (2002-05) who tallied 1,147 career points.
 
UPCOMING ACTION
The Falcons will be back at Brougham Pavilion on Monday for their final non-conference game. They host Puget Sound at 3:00 p.m. for the last home contest of the 2021 calendar year.
 
"That's the thing with this team, we're going to continue to grow and get better. Each time that we play is another opportunity to do that," Leep said. "That's the big thing for us on Monday as we turn our attention to UPS and get one more game before the break."
 
RECORDS
Seattle Pacific 7-5
Southeastern Oklahoma State 8-1
 
NEXT SPU GAME
Puget Sound at Seattle Pacific
Monday, December 20, 3:00 p.m. PST
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.