SEATTLE – Saturday's Seattle Pacific university men's basketball game against #23 Saint Martin's put two of the best teams in the West Region together as they were tied 13 times, and the lead was swapped 21 times before the Falcons edged past the Saints 92-87.

Shaw Anderson closed out Thursday's game by scoring 15 of the final 17 points to give the Falcons the win over Western Oregon. Once again, Anderson played the role of the closer. On Saturday, he ended the Saints by scoring six consecutive points in a 6-0 run.

Anderson stepped to the free throw line with 1:41 to play and the Falcons trailing 87-87. He knocked down both free throws to give SPU a one-point lead. SPU earned a stop defensively, followed by a step-back jumper from Anderson to put the team up 90-87. With under 10 seconds to play, Anderson stepped up and hit two more free throws. Anderson finished the game with 21 points, five rebounds, and two assists. Most of his scoring came in the second half.

"Shaw continues to make play after play, after play," head coach Grant Leep said. "He's just been so good and so efficient for us. I feel like a broken record when I talk about him. He was able to grind through this game and come up big for us late."

Syon Blackmon was crucial in the team's victory on Saturday afternoon. Typically called on to lock up the opponent's best player, Blackmon brought it on the offensive end. He was vital in the first half, scoring 16 points while knocking down four 3-pointers in the first half. Blackmon went on to finish with a game-high 24 points on 9-for-14 shooting, including six made 3-pointers.

Blackmon's huge first half kept the Falcons in the game, as they came out of halftime trailing 44-40. Zack Paulsen answered immediately, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers to erase that four-point deficit. Paulsen made big plays all night long. He drew a massive offense foul late in the second half that helped the Falcons gain momentum down the stretch.

"We were down four, but we kind of felt like we were in control," Leep said. "We felt that they were playing how we wanted them to play. We had taken them away from the 3-point line and we were pleased with that. We stayed the course of our plan. Syon was able to keep us in the game with his scoring. Zack starts the second half with two 3's and all of sudden the deficit is gone."

Paulsen ended the game with 14 points, making all four of his shot attempts. He was a rebound away from a double-double with nine boards. Casson Rouse had a big night off the bench as well. Like Paulsen, he hit all of his shot attempts. Rouse finished with 12 points.

The offense flowed through Maui Sze, who led everyone with a career-high 11 assists. The team accounted for 20 assists and knocked down 18 3-pointers. Defensively, the Falcons held the Saints to just eight made 3-points. SMU entered the game averaging 11 3-pointers per game.

"I thought we had a better rhythm and flow to us in the second half," Leep added. "Maui with 11 assists is a huge number. We made our 3's tonight. The guys were ready to go when they caught the ball. Our spacing was excellent and allowed us to create those extra shots and find those opportunities."

The Falcons return to Royal Brougham Pavilion on Saturday, January 21 at 2 p.m. when they host MSU Billings, who has yet to lose a conference game.