SEATTLE – The Seattle Pacific University men's basketball team took on CUI in the final game of the PacWest/GNAC Challenge on Saturday night, and after trading baskets early, the Falcons couldn't get the stops they needed against the Golden Eagles and fell 84-78.

"We had some moments of good basketball tonight," Interim Head Coach Keffrey Fazio said. "A consistent defensive effort just wasn't there. CUI played well to start the game. They're a good basketball team that made some shots early. They put us in a hole during that run. We needed to get some stops to get out of. We must be ready to go from the start of the game every night. That's a lesson we learned tonight, and we'll grow from it."

The Falcons and Golden Eagles swapped points early in Saturday's contest. Jonas La Tour and Shaw Anderson led the way for the Falcons. La Tour poured in nine points, while Anderson had seven. SPU led 32-28 with 7:48 to play in the first half.

The game got away from the Falcons with 6:27 to go in the first half. CUI went on an 18-2 run that lasted 4:30. The Golden Eagles went 5-for-6 from the field including three made 3-pointers. The run led to a 48-36 halftime lead for the visitors.

SPU opened the second half with an 11-5 run. The Falcons went 5-for-5 from the field during that 3:16 stretch. Owen Moriarty boldly led the Falcons with nine points during that span. The CUI lead was cut to 53-47. Unfortunately, SPU wouldn't come much closer to retaking the lead.

La Tour lit up the Golden Eagles on Saturday night. He splashed home six 3-pointers on his way to 18 points. La Tour added three rebounds, one assist, and one steal. Moriarty scored 16 points on 7-for-8 shooting. Penigar completed a fine weekend with 15 points and six rebounds.

The Falcons play at home on Tuesday as they host Sonoma State at 7 p.m. inside Royal Brougham Pavilion.