AZUSA, Calif. – The Seattle Pacific University men's basketball team opened its season against Chico State on Friday evening, as unanimous Preseason All-Conference selection Shaw Anderson led the Falcons with 28 points and five rebounds on their way to an 84-79 victory over the Wildcats.
Anderson lived up to preseason expectations in Thursday's opener. He scored 28 points on an efficient 8-for-14 shooting. He knocked down six 3-pointers and was perfect from the free-throw line as he sunk all nine attempts. Anderson grabbed five defensive rebounds and had two blocks for a stellar performance.
"Shaw has so much versatility," head coach Grant Leep said. "We can move him all over the court and get quality shots for himself and his teammates. He plays with a great understanding of team concepts and what we need. He makes the right plays."
It was an even first half between the Falcons and the Wildcats. The two teams were tied at 32 at halftime. Chico State opened the second half with a quick 10-2 run, giving them a 42-34 lead with 18:20 left in the game.
The Wildcats led 46-40 with 15:24 remaining then the Falcons went on a run. The difference came from a 24-10 run that lasted 6:20 in the middle of the second half. Ben Baker-McCann led the way with six points during that stretch, while Anderson and Zack Paulsen scored five points each.
The Falcons maintained their lead throughout the remainder of the second half. Anderson converted an and-one layup to give SPU a nine-point lead with 6:13 left to play. A pair of free throws from Paulsen sealed the game, as the Falcons took it 84-79.
Kelton Samore and Baker-McCann scored 14 points each in Friday's contest. Samore went 6-for-8 from the field while knocking down two 3-pointers. Baker-McCann was efficient as well, going 6-for-7 from the field while pulling down a team-high eight rebounds.
SPU went 9-for-27 from 3-point range against Chico State. The true separator came at the free-throw line for the Falcons. They went 17-for-20 (85 percent) from the free-throw line, while the Wildcats shot just 66.7 percent.
"We talked a lot at the half about our choices," Leep said. "We needed to choose to stay executing at a high level even if we missed shots. We had to choose to defend and block out. That's the standard that this team is in the process of creating. We were able to do that in the second half more consistently."
The second day of the Cougar Classic takes place tomorrow. The Falcons play Cal Poly Pomona at 5 p.m. at the Felix Events Center.