SEATTLE -- Shaw Anderson was one of six Seattle Pacific double-digit scorers Monday, netting 10 of his 15 points in the first half to help the Falcons build a large early lead en route to an 86-50 non-conference men's basketball win over Puget Sound.
 
SPU (8-5) led by as many as 20 points before halftime, a margin that nearly doubled during the second half. The largest disparity was 38 points, at 86-48, after Syon Blackmon made a mid-range jumper with 57.5 seconds left to play.
 
Monday marked the final home game of the 2021 calendar year for the Falcons, whose record on Iron Coaching Court at Brougham Pavilion improved to 4-1. They completed the non-GNAC portion of their schedule with a 7-4 record against out-of-league opponents.
 
"I was really pleased with how our guys handled the close to the non-conference portion of our schedule," said SPU coach Grant Leep. "We've played a very difficult schedule and we have a break coming up. As coaches we are always finding things to worry about.
 
"I wanted to make sure our guys finished the non-conference portion the right way. I was really pleased with the mentality, the mindset and the execution that the guys showed today."
 
The Loggers (4-6) suffered their sixth straight setback in meetings versus Seattle Pacific.

SHARIF KHAN INTERVIEW

SCORING SUMMARY
Anderson made 5 of 11 shots from the field, a figure that factors in 3-for-6 accuracy on 3-pointers. The sophomore forward grabbed a game-high nine rebounds to pace SPU's 45-30 command of the boards.
 
Matching Anderson for game-high scoring honors was Divant'e Moffitt, who added five assists and five rebounds to his 15-point production.
 
Zack Paulsen contributed 13 points for the Falcons, Blackmon had 12, Sharif Khan 11 and Harry Cavell 10.
 
SPU drained double-figure 3-pointers as a team for the fifth time in the last seven games, shooting 12-for-29 beyond the arc. A 49-percent overall field goal accuracy saw the hosts hit 32 of 66 shots.
 
"When you run your offense, you get an open look and you hit it, there's a positive feeling that comes with that," Leep said. "What we're working on as a team is trying to flip that a little bit in the sense that we want the defense to be the thing that gives us the energy and not only relying on offense.
 
"When our defense is working, that's when we really get in our groove."
 
The Falcons forced 14 turnovers and 10 of those were a direct result of steals. Cavell and Paulsen had three steals apiece and Mehdi El Mardi had two.
 
Puget Sound was limited to 35-percent shooting (20 of 58) and 5-for-21 on treys.
 
Grant Erickson was the lone Logger in double figures and he just barely got there with 11 points on 4-for-9 shooting. The next-highest scoring teammate was Jack Bailey with seven.
 
FIRST-HALF SURGE
After an SPU basket by Anderson 10 seconds after tip-off, the Loggers got a driving layup from Will Mathews and jumper from Taj Phillips to gain a 4-2 edge.
 
The score was level at 6-6 before the Falcons reeled off 15 consecutive points, getting four apiece from Mehdi El Mardi and Moffitt. When Khan capped the spree at 13:45 with a top-of-the-key 3-pointer, the hosts held a 21-6 advantage.
 
That margin grew to a first-half high of 34-14 after Anderson finished a baseline drive on a reverse layup with 8:09 showing on the clock.
 
UPS responded with nine straight points to close within 34-23. Highlighting that surge was a four-point play by Will Pohland who hit a right-side trey and sank the subsequent free throw after being fouled.
 
Anderson completed the period with back-to-back 3-pointers to provide a 40-23 halftime lead for SPU.
 
While both teams shot 30 percent from 3-point range, the fact the Falcons had twice as many attempts gave them nine additional points. They hit 6 of 20 trey tries and UPS made 3 of 10.
 
SHARIF KHAN CORNER 3-POINTER FROM DIVANT'E MOFFITT PASS

EXPANDING LEAD AFTER HALFTIME
The second half got off to a slow start with neither team scoring for 93 seconds, until Moffitt finished a layup. The Falcons traded two baskets for one for three of the next four possessions.
 
A mini run of 8-3 completed by a Phillips jumper with 11:25 remaining brought UPS within 60-38.
 
The Falcons tallied the next 11 points, with production from five different players, to put the game out of reach at 71-38. Their late surge of nine straight points, featuring four from Blackmon, generated the largest lead of 86-48 with less than a minute to play.
 
TIP-INS
• For the first time the Falcons won after scoring the game's initial point. They lost all four previous games in which they got on the board first.
 
• Six SPU players grabbed five-or-more rebounds led by nine from Shaw Anderson and eight from Harry Cavell.
 
• Cavell climbed into the No. 11 spot among all-time SPU scorers, increasing his career total to 1,304 points. He needs 23 more to tie Chris Banchero (2008-11) in the No. 10 spot.
 
UPCOMING ACTION
The Falcons resume Great Northwest Athletic Conference play in 10 days with a two-game trip to Alaska. They visit Anchorage on Dec. 30 at 8:30 p.m. Pacific Time (7:30 p.m. Alaska Time) before playing at Fairbanks on Jan. 1 at 6:15 p.m. PST.
 
Before then, the team will take an NCAA-mandated seven-day break from practice and competition.
 
"Our hands are tied in some ways because we are not allowed to practice until the 28th," Leep said. "Hopefully our guys will be responsible. They need to take a day or two and let their bodies and minds heal to rest and recover. Then they need to get in the gym, but we can't as coaches enforce that.
 
"We come out of that break, have a day of practice on campus then fly to Alaska. That's about as hard as it gets, so we need to make sure that we are ready to go for that."
 
The next home game for the SPU men is Jan. 6 versus Saint Martin's. Tip-off is 7:30 p.m. at Brougham Pavilion.
 
RECORDS
Puget Sound 4-6
Seattle Pacific 8-5
 
NEXT SPU GAME
Seattle Pacific at Alaska Anchorage
Thursday, December 30; 8:30 p.m. PST
Alaska Airlines Center / Anchorage, Ak.