SEATTLE – After gaining momentum from a weekend sweep at home, the Seattle Pacific University men's basketball team travels north for two Great Northwest Athletic Conference games. The Falcons travel to Burnaby, B.C. for a game against Simon Fraser on Thursday. Then they stop in Bellingham, Wash. to take on Western Washington on Saturday. Both games tip off at 7 p.m.
QUOTABLE
"This week gives us another tough challenge. Our focus will continue to be on us and taking the next step forward in our progress as a team," head coach Grant Leep said. "We did a good job last week of competing and playing hard. Then when you add the execution and shooting ability this team possesses to competing and playing hard, it gave us a glimpse at what this team can accomplish together. In SFU and WWU we will play talented, well-coached teams, and we need to be ready to play hard for 40 minutes."
REACHING A MILESTONE
With his 21st point against Central Washington last Saturday, Shaw Anderson became the 39th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points with the Falcons. He achieved the milestone in 69 games, the fewest games of any player on the 1,000-career points list.
Loren Anderson holds the program record with 1,948 career points from 1955-58. He averaged 18.9 points over 103 games.
LAST TIME OUT
SPU put together its best weekend of the season coming out of the holiday break. It started last Thursday when the Falcons turned to toughness against Northwest Nazarene, out-rebounding the Nighthawks while sharing the ball offensively to earn the 79-69 victory.
They out-rebounded the Nighthawks 40-27 for the contest. NNU's Gabriel Murphy entered the game leading the conference in rebounding. The Falcons held him to just five boards for the game. Anderson led the Falcons with eight rebounds, followed by Ben Baker-McCann with seven.
The Falcons paired their grit on the glass with a balanced offensive effort as five players scored in double figures. They were led by Anderson's game-high 17. Kelton Samore poured in 13 points and had five rebounds. Zack Paulsen, Maui Sze, and Casson Rouse scored 12 points each.
On Saturday, the Falcons showcased their offensive abilities in a 93-84 victory over Central Washington. The Falcons were undeniable offensively in Saturday's game, shooting 58.2 percent (32-for-55) from the field. They went 17-for-29 (58.6 percent) from distance and made all but one of their 13 free-throw attempts. In total, the team dished out 17 assists for the game.
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.
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. Paulsen had 20 points, with a perfect performance from the free throw line making all eight of his attempts. Blackmon chipped in 10 points with lockdown defense to go with it.
STAT THAT
Anderson has had a stellar 2022-23 season thus far, leading the conference with 19.8 points per game. Anderson has been a catalyst for the team, as they lead the league in field goal percentage at 52.4. SPU Ranks fifth in the country in shooting percentage. Northwest Missouri State leads NCAA DII with a 54.58 field goal percentage.
The Falcons take and make good 3-pointers as well. They lead the GNAC with a 42.6 percent effort from range. The next closest team in the conference is Alaska Fairbanks who is knocking down 38.7 percent of their 3-pointers.
THE D2SIDA WEST REGION POLL
The Falcons are back on the scene in the west region. They received votes in this week's D2SIDA West Region Media Poll after a fantastic weekend. 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 SIMON FRASER RED LEAFS (5-8, 0-3 GNAC)
Simon Fraser was picked to finish ninth in this year's GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll after a seventh-place finish a season ago. They went 12-13 in 2021-22, averaging 72.8 points per game. This year, the Red Leafs are off to a 5-8 start and are still searching for their first conference win. Last weekend, they fell to conference favorites Saint Martin's 94-81 and Western Oregon 79-67.
The team returns eight players and two starters, led by junior guard David Penney and senior guard/forward Jahmal Wright. Penney averaged 10 points per game and was third in the GNAC with 4.6 assists per game. Wright averaged six points per game. Penny was one of 15 players selected to the GNAC Preseason All-Conference Team.
SCOUTING THE WESTERN WASHINGTON VIKINGS (9-4, 2-1 GNAC)
Western Washington wound up in fourth in the GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll. The Vikings finished 2021-22 with a 14-14 overall record and a 7-10 mark in conference play. The Vikings were one of the top-scoring teams in the GNAC averaging 79.2 points per game and ranked third with a .478 field goal percentage. It's been more of the same this season for the Vikings, as they're averaging 91.1 points per game.
D'Angelo Minnis and Daniel Hornbuckle earned Preseason All-Conference Team honors. Minnis was named the 2021-22 GNAC Defensive Player of the Year and earned Honorable Mention All-GNAC honors after averaging 12.4 points and 3.3 rebounds per game with 117 assists and 29 steals on the season. He ranked fourth in the conference with 4.5 assists per contest and was third with a .847 free-throw percentage.
Hornbuckle joined Minnis as an Honorable Mention All-GNAC selection for the Vikings last season. He averaged 13.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. One of the conference's top three-point threats, Hornbuckle was second in the GNAC with three three-pointers made per game and sixth with a .435 three-point percentage.
