THURSDAY, JANUARY 27
Alaska Fairbanks at Seattle Pacific, 5:15 p.m. PST
Iron Coaching Court at Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
SATURDAY, JANUARY 29
Alaska Anchorage at Seattle Pacific, 4:15 p.m. PST
Iron Coaching Court at Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
(Proof of vaccination or negative COVID test required for attendance)
• Webcasts: https://www.youtube.com/user/SPUsports
• LiveStats: www.sidearmstats.com/spu/mbball
• Tickets: https://www.spufalcons.com/tickets
 
Seattle Pacific begins the second swing through the Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball schedule at home this week. SPU (10-8, 3-4 GNAC) entertains Alaska Fairbanks on Thursday, Jan. 27 at 5:15 p.m. to tip-off a doubleheader with the women's team on Iron Coaching Court at Brougham Pavilion. The Nanooks (4-8, 1-5) feature the league's leading scorer in senior guard Shadeed Shabazz (20.8 ppg), a product of Seattle's Rainier Beach High School. Thursday marks this season's first meeting between SPU and Fairbanks as their Jan. 1 matchup in Alaska was postponed and will be played on Feb. 21. On Saturday, Jan. 29 the SPU men play the 4:15 p.m. nightcap of a doubleheader, against Alaska Anchorage. The Seawolves (7-3, 2-1) lead the GNAC with 19.2 assists per game, nearly three more than any other team.
 
Notable
SPU has played an extremely difficult schedule with two of its losses coming against teams currently ranked among the top-13 nationally. The combined record of the Falcons 16 NCAA Division II opponents is 151-79 (65.7%) and only one foe has a losing record.
 
Revised Schedule
Two future games are new to the slate for the Falcons, having been rescheduled. They entertain Western Oregon on Feb. 8 in a game originally scheduled for Jan. 8. SPU visits Alaska Fairbanks on Feb. 21 after their Jan. 1 meeting was postponed.

BIJON SIDHU INTERVIEW

Falcons Fast Facts
• SPU leads the GNAC and ranks 10th nationally in free throw accuracy at 79.0 percent (252-319). Nine of 10 Falcons who attempted a free throw are shooting better than 70%
 
• SPU was the most accurate NCAA D-II free shooting team in both 2020 (80.5%) and 2021 (84.2%)
 
• Divant'e Moffitt ranks 4th among GNAC scorers (17.6 ppg) and Shaw Anderson is No. 14 (14.0)
 
• The Falcons boast a 5-1 home record, the lone loss coming vs. Central Washington (68-65) on Dec. 2
 
• Sophomore guard Zack Paulsen posted SPU's only two double-doubles (Nov. 12 & Dec. 13)
 
• Paulsen (2) & Mehdi El Mardi (1) accounted for all three of the Falcons double-digit rebound games
 
• Three Falcons have a 30-point game in their career: Divant'e Moffitt (4), Shaw Anderson (2) & Harry Cavell (1)
 
Cavell's Career Numbers
Guard Harry Cavell is the 10th player in SPU history to reach both the 1,000-point and 600-rebound milestones. His 1,390 career points rank No. 8 in school history and he ranks No. 12 in career rebounds with 628. The graduate student was a preseason All-GNAC selection after garnering second-team post-season recognition and being honored as the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2020.
 
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 eighth among all-time SPU players with 1,390 career points. He needs four points to reach 1,394 and tie Brannon Stone (1998-2002) in the No. 7 position. Point guard Divant'e Moffitt netted his 1,000th career point on Nov. 13 and has increased that to 1,255 points, a figure that ranks No. 15 on the school scoring chart. Tony Binetti (2002-06) is in the No. 14 spot with 1,283 career points.
 
Scouting Alaska Fairbanks (4-8, 1-5 GNAC)
The Nanooks lost six of their last seven games, the lone win a 97-95 home overtime decision over Central Washington on Jan. 15. Senior guard Shadeed Shabazz, a product of Seattle's Rainier Beach High School, tops all GNAC scorers with 20.8 points per game. He also leads the league with 3.1 steals per game. Greg Sparling is in his fourth year as head coach at UAF after serving the previous 24 seasons at Central Washington. The Falcons lead the all-time series 65-17 and were victorious in 23 of the last 26 encounters. SPU had an eight-game series win streak stopped with an 83-77 loss at Fairbanks in the last meeting, on Jan. 30, 2020.
 
Scouting Alaska Anchorage (7-3, 2-1 GNAC)
The Seawolves play at Montana State Billings on Thursday and that will be their first game in the 2022 calendar year and just their second game since Dec. 5, 2021. Their last outing was Dec. 30 in Anchorage when they defeated SPU 88-83. UAA has perfect home record (5-0), but is just 1-3 in road outings this season. The high-scoring duo of Tobin Karlberg (17.0 ppg) and Hunter Sweet (16.6) paces the UAA attack that outscores opponents by an average of nearly 10.3 points (78.6 to 68.3). The Falcons hold a 42-40 edge in the all-time series.
 
 

Last Week
The Falcons drew a 2-2 split of their frenetic 4-games-in-8-days stretch last week. SPU sandwiched wins over Saint Martin's (68-65 on Jan. 17) and Western Washington (78-59 on Jan. 20) between losses at MSU Billings (67-54 on Jan. 15) and Simon Fraser (75-72 on Jan. 22). Shaw Anderson nailed a left-corner 3-pointer at the buzzer in the home win over the Saints to cap a team-high 19-point performance. He shared high-scoring honors with teammate Harry Cavell at Western Washington, both with 21 points. SPU's loss at Simon Fraser in the last outing spoiled the 24-point production of Divant'e Moffitt.
 
Dynamic Divant'e
Senior point guard Divant'e Moffitt leads the Falcons with 17.6 points per game and 3.9 assists. He topped all SPU scorers in 11 games this season. Moffitt surpassed the 1,000-point plateau on Nov. 13 and currently ranks No. 15 among all-time SPU scorers with 1,255 career points. He poured in a season-best 29 points versus Northwest University on Dec. 8. Moffitt was named the 2022 GNAC Preseason Player of the Year. Moffitt has tallied four career 30-point performances. He was honored as a unanimous first-team All-GNAC selection in 2020.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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 a 93-53 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.
 
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
 
Next Week
The Falcons play a pair of road games next week, visiting Western Oregon on Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. and Saint Martin's on Feb. 5 at 5:15 p.m. SPU has a third outing in six days, hosting Western Oregon on Feb. 8 at 5 p.m. That starts a four-game homestand on Iron Coaching Court at Brougham Pavilion to complete the home portion of the schedule.