SEATTLE – The Seattle Pacific University men's basketball team hosts the PacWest/GNAC Challenge this Friday and Saturday with games that feature Azusa Pacific, Concordia Irvine, and Western Washington.
QUOTABLE
"It's always great to be on your home floor in front of our friends and families. We were on the road quite a bit last year. We have much more balance with our schedule this year. We're looking forward to drawing some extra energy from our hometown supporters." – head coach Keffrey Fazio.
LAST TIME OUT
The Falcons traveled to Chico, Calif. to take on two teams at the CCAA Crossover last Friday and Saturday. SPU split the weekend that featured two low-scoring games.
The Falcons opened the weekend with a 56-50 victory over Cal Poly Pomona. A crucial first-half run proved to be the difference for the Falcons.
SPU trailed CPP 13-11 with 12:23 left in the first half. Jadin Penigar scored seven straight points to start a 17-4 run for the Falcons that closed out the first half. SPU was 7-for-12 during the run, led by 10 points from Penigar.
Defensively, the Falcons held the Broncos to 2-for-14 from the field. SPU held CPP to a 25.9 shooting percentage (7-for-27) in the first half. The Falcons held the Broncos to 41.2 percent (21-for-51) from the field for the game. CPP made just one 3-pointer and made only seven free throws.
Kyle Luttinen led everyone with 17 points. He did it from deep, knocking down five 3-pointers while adding three rebounds and two assists. Owen Moriarty's late buckets were huge. He finished with 12 points. Penigar was the final Falcon in double-figures with 10 points, all coming during a crucial first-half run for the Falcons. Trace Evans led everyone with 10 rebounds.
The Falcons took on a tough opponent in #22 Chico State last Saturday. The Wildcats used a second-half push to take down the Falcons 70-56.
SPU didn't find a rhythm offensively against Chico. The Falcons went 19-for-49 (38.8 percent) from the field. They hit three 3-pointers for the game and shot 71.4 percent from the free throw line. The Wildcats forced the Falcons into 15 turnovers as well.
Evans was excellent for the Falcons throughout the game. He scored 13 points on 6-for-7 shooting while pulling down 13 rebounds. The big man added four assists to his first double-double of the season for a stellar night.
Shaw Anderson led all scorers with 17 points for the Falcons. Luttinen and Penigar added nine points each.
MOVING ON UP
Shaw Anderson moved up the SPU men's basketball all-time scoring list over the weekend. Anderson has scored 1,396 points as a Falcon. He passed Brannon Stone (1998-2002) for 9th all-time. Next on the list is Divant'e Moffitt, who scored 1460 points from 2017-2022.
ABOUT AZUSA PACIFIC
The Cougars were selected to win the PacWest conference in their preseason coaches poll. APU received eight first-place votes and totaled 112 points in the poll. Azusa Pacific finished second in the PacWest last season, was second in the PacWest tournament, and qualified for the NCAA tournament.
Head coach Peter Bond returns nine players from that squad and three starters, including First Team All-PacWest selection Ken West. West was selected as the PacWest's Preseason Player of the Year. West is a fifth-year player and a fourth-year starter for the Cougars. He has been a First Team All-PacWest selection the last two seasons, averaging 11 points a game in 2022-23. The Bellevue, Wash. native averaged 4.4 rebounds a contest and made 84 three-pointers at a 41 percent success rate.
ABOUT CONCORDIA IRVINE
The Golden Eagles hope to prove the PacWest Preseason Coaches Poll wrong in 2023-24. They're picked to finish last and totaled 28 total points. Longtime head coach Ken Ammann (23rd year, 504-205), returns three starters, has six total players back, and five transfers.
The Golden Eagles opened their season at the CCAA/PacWest Challenge a weekend ago. They defeated San Marcos 81-74 before falling 88-65 to CSU Los Angeles. Jackson Tucker has been the team's leading scorer early in the season, averaging 15 points per game.
