SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The Seattle Pacific University men's basketball team played the first of two non-conference games in the Golden State on Saturday night as they took on San Marcos. The Falcons showcased a balanced offense, but it wasn't enough to take down the Cougars, as they fell 86-75.

The Falcons had four players score in double-figures on Saturday night. Shaw Anderson led the way with 16 points and five rebounds. Syon Blackmon was solid, pouring in 14 points. Zack Paulsen and Kelton Samore scored 10 points each.

As a team, SPU shot 58.2 percent (32-for-55) for the game but struggled from 3-point range. They made seven for the game, but hit just two in the first half. The slow start proved costly for the Falcons.

"San Marcos played very well tonight," head coach Grant Leep said. "They shot an extremely high percentage as a team, and we had to play from behind most of the night. We executed some things well on offense and had some balanced scoring."

The Cougars used a pair of big runs in the first half to gain their advantage. CSUSM led 10-8 before going on a 10-4 run that put the Cougars up 20-12 with 12:37 to play in the first half.

SPU erased their deficit, as a 3-pointer from Anderson had them trailing 24-22 with 8:53 to go in the first half.

Over the following 6:21, the Cougars went on an 18-4 run as their lead bloated to 42-26. The Falcons tried to work their way back into the game but trailed 44-32 at halftime.

The Cougars held their lead throughout most of the second half. A late run from the Falcons brought the gap to 11 points, but it wasn't enough as the game went to San Marcos.

The Falcons played well near the hoop on Saturday. They scored 44 points in the paint and had 15 second-chance points. SPU forced the Cougars into 11 turnovers and scored 18 points off those turnovers.

"This game was about our inability to get stops," Leep added. "Then to compound it, we went 4-14 from the free throw line, which is an uncharacteristic number from this team and made our comeback attempt much more difficult. It will be good to get another game on Monday before the break. For us, it will be about executing our game plan on both sides of the ball and doing it more consistently."

The Falcons are back in action on Monday in Carson, Calif. The team takes on CSU Dominguez Hills in the Torodome at 3 p.m.