AZUSA, Calif. – A fast start from the Seattle Pacific University men's basketball team combined with a 30-point performance from Shaw Anderson was enough to put away Concordia Irvine 79-70 on Saturday evening.

It was a stark contrast from Friday's game against Azusa Pacific for the Falcons. They were relentless from tip-off, using a 20-4 run over the first 6:07 to create separation. Later in the Half, Maui Sze and Anderson knocked down back-to-back 3 -pointers to put the Falcons up 38-20. SPU outscored CUI 47-34 in the first half and would control the game in the second half to secure the win.

"Our guys had a great response to a tough loss," head coach Grant Leep said. "We challenged them to start better on the defensive end and they did that. Then we get to play in transition rather than going against a set defense all the time. I loved how deliberate we were in attacking specific matchups and coverages. That put the ball in spots we wanted with matchups we like. I am very proud of how we showed up to play tonight." 

Anderson was unbelievable for the Falcons on Saturday. He scored 30 points on 11-for-18 shooting from the field. Anderson added four rebounds and six assists to a stellar stat line. Anderson finished the GNAC/PacWest Challenge with 49 points on 16-for-25 shooting, including a 5-for-7 performance from 3-point range, while going 12-for-13 from the free throw line. 

Kelton Samore, Zack Paulsen, and Ben Baker-McCann joined Anderson in double-figure scoring. Samore went 5-for-9 from the field for 13 points with five rebounds.

Paulsen and Baker-McCann matched each other with 10 points each. Both players went 3-for-5 from the field with a 3-pointer. Paulsen grabbed four rebounds and matched Anderson with a game-high six assists.  

The Falcons return to Royal Brougham Pavilion on Tuesday night when they host Douglas College at 7:30 p.m.