SEATTLE – The Seattle Pacific University men's basketball team completed the weekend sweep against quality Great Northwest Athletic Conference opponents with a 93-84 win over Central Washington Saturday evening, as Shaw Anderson became the 39th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points.
Anderson has been a bucket throughout the 2022-23 season. He leads the conference in scoring and is a key part of a team that leads the conference in shooting percentage and 3-point shooting percentage. On Saturday, Anderson led all scorers with 22 points on an efficient 9-for-12 shooting. He pulled down six rebounds, had three assists, and blocked two shots in what proved to be a memorable night.
"We've always known that Shaw is capable of scoring and does it so well within the confines of the team's systems and what we're trying to build," head coach Grant Leep said. "There are times when guys wish he would shoot it a little bit more because he's so unselfish. Tonight's milestone is a great honor. We told the guys that it's an individual honor that speaks to the team's ability to get him the ball, set screens for him, help him get better, and put him in a position to score. We're proud of him and are happy he's earned this honor."
Maui Sze arrived on Saturday against the Wildcats. He poured in 20 points while going 6-for-7 from 3-point range. He grabbed four rebounds and had six assists as the offense flowed through the guard from Seattle. Zack Paulsen had 20 points, with a perfect performance from the free throw line making all eight of his attempts. Syon Blackmon chipped in 10 points with lockdown defense to go with it.
"We trust Maui so much that he's able to do things for our team he knows will work," Leep said. "As a team, we had 17 assists. The ball was getting to shooters on time, allowing them to create rhythm and make shots. Maui did that so well tonight. Zack's leadership, toughness, his ability to understand concepts, he knows where to be and takes the right shots. Syon has taken charge of our defense and he's done a great job of setting the tone for us."
Kelton Samore was in foul trouble early in the second half. Trace Evans filled the role well with eight points and six rebounds. Casson Rouse brought experience and poise with two timely 3-pointers.
"Trace was great for us tonight," Leep added. "We challenged him to come up and be a ball screener, he did that and made a couple of plays because of it. Casson brings a veteran presence for us and was solid for us tonight as well."
The Falcons were undeniable offensively in Saturday's game. They shot 58.2 percent (32-for-55) from the field. They went 17-for-29 (58.6 percent) from distance. They made all but one of their 13 free-throw attempts.
"We wanted to make sure to re-establish who we are and our identity, and we did that this weekend," Leep said. "We did it with how hard we played. We did it with how together we played. That's what this team needs to be. We're 3-1 in the conference and feel good about where we are at. I think we took the right steps to get back to where we needed to be, and now we can start moving forward again."
The Falcons are on the road next weekend, starting with a game against Simon Fraser on Thursday at 7 p.m. in Burnaby B.C.