SEATTLE – The Seattle Pacific University men's basketball team relaunches Great Northwest Athletic Conference play this weekend at Royal Brougham Pavilion. The Falcons host Northwest Nazarene on Thursday at 5:15 p.m. followed by a game against Central Washington on Saturday at 4:15 p.m.
 
QUOTABLE
"It will be nice to get back into the rhythm of conference games, especially starting at home after the break. We played a challenging non-conference schedule to prepare ourselves for the difficulty the GNAC brings. The quality and depth of teams in our conference demand that we continue to play hard and improve each time we take the court. The teams coming to SPU this week, NNU and CWU, are both well-coached, talented and play extremely hard. We must be ready to go from the start." – head coach Grant Leep. 
 
TOP OF THE LEADER BOARD
The Falcons lead the GNAC in field goal percentage, converting 52.3 percent of their attempts. The mark is the sixth best in the country. SPU is the best 3-point shooting team in the conference. They've hit 40.2 percent from long range. The team shares the ball with 16.9 assists per game, tied for the most in the conference.
 
Shaw Anderson continues to lead the GNAC in scoring with 19.9 points per game. The Kelso, Wash. native is shooting 53.7 percent from the field and 44.9 percent from 3-point range. He's also making free throws, shooting 85 percent from the stripe.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Falcons wrapped up their non-conference schedule in California with games against San Marcos and Dominguez Hills. The Falcons outplayed their opponents in the second half of each game, but slow starts proved to be too much to overcome.
 
Anderson led the team with 16 points against the Cougars. He added five rebounds and two assists to a solid night. Syon Blackmon was spectacular against the Toros. He poured in a team-high 19 points with five rebounds and five assists.
 
SCOUTING THE NORTHWEST NAZARENE NIGHTHAWKS (4-6, 1-1 GNAC)
Expectations are high for the Nighthawks entering the 2022-23 season. They were picked to finish second in the GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll, after their best-ever GNAC finish of second in 2021-22. The team went 10-5 in conference play a season ago.
 
NNU returns GNAC Freshman of the Year Tru Allen and GNAC Honorable Mention recipient Gabriel Murphy. Allen is averaging 14.5 points per game, 3.1 rebounds per game, and 2.9 assists per game. Murphy is one of the best post players in the game, averaging nearly a double-double early in the 2022-23 season. He's scoring 12.5 per game while pulling down a league-best 9.8 rebounds a game.
 
SCOUTING THE CENTRAL WASHINGTON WILDCATS (4-7, 0-2 GNAC)
After making a run to the GNAC tournament championship game, the Wildcats finished seventh in this season's preseason coaches poll. It's been a chaotic start to the season for the Wildcats, as renovations to Nicholson Pavilion have moved their home games to multiple locations. Recently, the team has picked up some momentum with three consecutive wins. They've beat Evergreen State, Langara, and Walla Walla.
 
Matt Poquette made the preseason All-Conference team. He's the top scorer of returning Wildcats after averaging 12.8 points per game on a 57.0 field goal percentage. So far, his numbers mirror last season, with 12.3 points per game and 6.6 rebounds per game.