SEATTLE – The Seattle Pacific University men's basketball team is set to host another mega-matchup this weekend as #24 Montana State University Billings visits Royal Brougham Pavilion as the only unbeaten team in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play. The Falcons and the Yellowjackets tip-off on Saturday at 2 p.m.
QUOTABLE
"What a great challenge for our guys this week," head coach
Grant Leep said. "We've found a nice groove on both ends. It all started with greater effort. It has been great to see us play at a higher level as our effort became more consistent. It reinforces a lot of what we've been stressing during practice as we've gotten better. It has also been great to have been home for 3 straight games. MSUB is a big, tough well coached team. They've been playing well and keep finding ways to win. It's a great opportunity for us on Saturday."
LAST TIME OUT
The Falcons picked up two conference wins last weekend. They dealt with a competitive Western Oregon team on Thursday, taking the game 87-79. Then on Saturday, two of the best teams in the West Region met in Seattle. SPU edged past Saint Martin's 82-87. The team extended its winning streak to six games.
Thursday's game between the Falcons and Wolves was tightly contested. Anderson took over in the final five minutes, scoring 15 consecutive points while leading the Falcons to their fifth straight victory. Anderson led everyone with 30 points on 10-for-14 shooting while knocking down all three of his 3-point attempts. He grabbed seven rebounds, dished out three assists, and had two blocks.
Zack Paulsen and
Trace Evans joined Anderson in double figures. Paulsen finished with 19 points and had five rebounds. Evans came close to another double-double for SPU. He supplied a crucial 15 points off the bench while pulling down a game-high eight rebounds.
The Falcons were relentless in attacking the basket throughout the game. They finished with 42 points in the paint and out-rebounded the Wolves 30-26. SPU shot 55.2 percent (32-for-58) from the field and went 15-for-19 (78.9 percent) from the free throw line.
Anderson played the role of closer against the Saints on Saturday. A game that featured 13 ties and 21 lead changes was ended by a 6-0 run in the final 1:41 in which Anderson scored all six points.
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.
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.
GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Anderson's sensational weekend for the Seattle Pacific University men's basketball team earned his third Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Week award this season.
Anderson's weekend totals were fantastic. He played 69 minutes over two games, scoring 51 points with great shooting numbers. He went 17-for-31 from the field, including a 4-for-7 performance from 3-pointer ranges. He was supremely clutch, hitting 13-for-16 free throws. Anderson pulled down 12 rebounds, dished out five assists, blocked three shots, and had one steal.
BEVO FRANCIS TOP 100 WATCH LIST
Anderson was named to the Bevo Francis Top 100 Watch List for the 2022-23 season. The Clarence "Bevo" Francis Award is presented annually to the player who has had the finest overall season within Small College Basketball. Considerations will be season statistics and individual achievements, awards, personal character, and team achievements. The incredibly prestigious honor is awarded to one player in Small College Basketball per season.
On February 15th, the list is reduced to the Top 50 players. Then on March 15th, the Top 25 players will be announced. On April 1st, the finalists of this year's award are announced, followed by the Bevo Francis Award winner being crowned on April 3rd.
AROUND THE GNAC
The Falcon trail the Yellowjackets for the top spot in the GNAC entering this weekend's games. SPU continues to lead the league in field goal percentage, hitting on 53.4 percent of their attempts. They also lead the conference in 3-point field goal percentage, knocking down 43.6 percent. The Falcons share the ball well, averaging 16.8 assists, ranking them second in the GNAC. The team ranks second in rebounding defense, pulling in 30.3 defensive rebounds per game.
Anderson continues to lead the conference in scoring, averaging 20.5 points per game. He also plays the most minutes in the GNAC, spending 33.4 minutes per game on the court. Anderson ranks eighth in field goal percentage by shooting 56.5 percent for the season. He does it defensively as well, stuffing .9 shots per game, good enough for the seventh most blocks per game in the GNAC.
Paulsen is also inside the top 10 in scoring at ninth, with 13.4 points per game. He's hitting 88.9 percent of his free throw attempts, second-best in the conference. Paulsen has hit 33 3-pointers this season, the fifth most in the conference.
Kelton Samore leads the league in field goal percentage, hitting an incredible 65.2 percent of his shots. Sze is connecting on shots from distance, hitting 51.9 percent of his 3-point attempts. He also ranks seventh in the conference in assists with 3.2 per game
THE D2SIDA WEST REGION POLL
SPU continued to soar up the standings in this week's D2SIDA West Region Poll. They landed in a tie with Azusa Pacific and Saint Martin's in fourth on that list. They ranked seventh in last week's poll and were in 10th two weeks ago.
The regional poll is released every Monday, followed by the national poll every Tuesday. Each region has six representatives (two per conference) that comprise the regional poll. The national poll has 16 voters - 2 from each region.
SCOUTING THE MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY BILLINGS YELLOWJACKETS (14-4, 8-0 GNAC)
The Yellowjackets had high hopes for the 2022-23 season, returning most of their roster from a fourth-place finish in the conference a season ago. That led to a third-place selection in the GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll. So far, they've lived up to and perhaps exceeded those expectations.
GNAC Newcomer of the Year and First Team All-Conference selection Carrington Wiggins is back with the 'Jackets this season. He averaged 17.2 points per game and scored 20 or more points 10 times last season. Bilal Shabazz returns as well after scoring 7.1 points per game and grabbing five rebounds per game.
Everything has gone right for the Yellowjackets this season. With conference rematches beginning next week, MSUB has yet to lose to a GNAC opponent. They welcomed Saint Martin's and Western Oregon to Billings last week. The Yellowjackets took down the Saints 72-61 before dropping the Wolves 68-59.
