SEATTLE – The Seattle Pacific University men's basketball team takes on two tough opponents at the CCAA Crossover this weekend. It starts on Friday when the team plays Cal Poly Pomona at 5:30 p.m. followed by a game on Saturday with host #22 Chico State at 7:30 p.m.
QUOTABLE
"I'm excited to get our guys back on the court and compete against two more exceptional basketball teams. We know our nonconference schedule is extremely challenging, and our guys are looking forward to the opportunity. Our goal is to find consistency in how we want to play and who we want to be. We showed moments of that during our first weekend of games, but we need to continue to grow into being able to sustain that performance throughout an entire game." – head coach Keffrey Fazio.
LAST TIME OUT
The Falcons opened their season at the DII Canadian Tip-Off Classic at the Langley Events Center. The team won their final game against Daemen 87-77. The weekend was highlighted by performances from Shaw Anderson, Julian Mora, and Kyle Luttinen.
Anderson capped the weekend with a 30-point performance against Daemen. He filled it up by going 11-for-21 from the field, including five 3-pointers. He pulled down five rebounds and dished out four assists. Anderson scored 65 points over the first three games of the season. His career total moves to 1,372 points and is now 10th in total points in program history.
Mora broke out in a big way against Hawaii Hilo last Saturday. He led the team with a career-high 18 points on 7-for-13 shooting, including four made 3-pointers. He added four rebounds and three assists, both career-bests. He matched the 18-point performance the following day against Daemen.
Luttinen joined the Falcons as a prolific shooter from 3-point range. He showcased that skill against Daemen. Luttinen hit five 3-pointers and scored a career-high 18 points. He added eight rebounds to his standout performance against the Wildcats.
Trave Evans, Owen Moriarty, and Jadin Penigar made notable contributions to the Falcons as well. Evans led the team with 20 rebounds last weekend. Moriarty knocked down 40 percent of his 3-point attempts. Penigar averaged 7.3 points per game over three games.
DII CANADIAN TIP-OFF CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Mora was named to the DII Canadian Tip-Off Classic All-Tournament Team on Wednesday. He played 71 minutes over three games and scored 41 points on 15-for-29 shooting. The Sophomore from Bend, Ore. hit seven 3-pointers and had 10 rebounds and eight assists for a solid weekend. Mora's efforts landed him on the Second Team.
ABOUT THE BRONCOS
Cal Poly Pomona was selected for a fourth-place finish in the CCAA Preseason Coaches Poll. It would be considered a bounce back after 2022-23 when the team went 12-14 (9-13 CCAA). The Broncos bring back five underclassmen, who all saw significant minutes last season. Shyheim Parm (10.9 ppg, 1.7 spg), Jaden Winfield (9.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg), Derrick Claxton (8.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg), Chris Gayles (8.3 ppg), and Caleb Nelson (7.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg) all averaged at least seven points as sophomores or younger.
ABOUT THE #22 WILDCATS
#22 Chico State is the resounding favorite in the CCAA Coaches Poll, with seven first-place votes. The Wildcats finished below .500 last season (13-16, 10-12 CCAA) with a young squad. They came together late in the year to earn the No. 6 seed in the CCAA Tournament and a first-round upset win.
The Wildcats will return five of its top six scorers, including CCAA Freshman of the Year JoJo Murphy (15.7 ppg), CCAA All-Tournament selection Evan Oliver (11.7 ppg, 2.0 spg), along with All-CCAA honorable mention selections Joshua Hamilton (11.8 ppg, .822 ft%) and Kelvin Wright Jr. (9.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg).
