PORTLAND, Ore – The Great Northwest Athletic Conference announced its men's basketball All-Conference teams on Tuesday morning, featuring Seattle Pacific's Shaw Anderson as a unanimous selection to the First Team while Zack Paulsen earned an honorable mention.

Both Anderson and Paulsen entered the year as Preseason All-GNAC selections. The duo was vital in a 17-10 season as the Falcons went 12-6 in conference play. Anderson and Paulsen led the league in minutes played and provided stability to a team that added 10 new players to the program. The Falcons enter this weekend's GNAC Tournament as the third seed and take on Northwest Nazarene on Thursday at noon.

Anderson had a breakout season for the Falcons after earning GNAC Honorable Mention a season ago. He established himself as one of the best scorers in the league and west region, leading the GNAC with 19.8 points per game. He finished the season ranked 36th in the country in points per game. Anderson does it efficiently, hitting on 53.3 percent of his attempts from the field and 41.3 percent from the 3-point range. Anderson knocked down 85.1 percent of his free throws, the sixth-best percentage in the conference.

"Shaw has been playing at a high level all season," head coach Grant Leep said. "When you add to it the consistency and the efficiency, it's no surprise he earned this honor. It seems as though every year Shaw has been in our program; he has added something new to his game. That ability to keep getting better and better is really special. Not every player has that. I'm proud of Shaw and the accomplishments and honors he's received this year."

Anderson's impact extends to other parts of the game as well. The Kelso Native made excellent decisions within the offense, dishing out 2.4 assists for the season. Anderson averaged 4.3 rebounds per game. He had a career-high 19 blocks this season and grabbed 10 steals for the Falcons.

Anderson's season was full of memorable moments. He scored a season-high 32 points against Cal Poly Pomona back on Nov. 12. The following weekend, Anderson dropped 30 against CUI. He earned back-to-back GNAC Player of the Week awards. He'd earn the honor three times in total throughout the season.  

His final GNAC Weekly award came on Jan. 16 after a dominant weekend in Royal Brougham Pavilion. He was a game-changer against Western Oregon on Jan 12. When he scored 15 consecutive points. The run featured a dunk of the year candidate when Anderson soared through the lane for the one-handed slam through contact. It was part of a 30-point performance from Anderson. Then against Saint Martin's, he was the closer once again. He scored six straight points in the final 1:41, securing a massive victory for the Falcons. 

On Dec. 31, Anderson became the 39th player in program history to score 1,000 career points for the Falcons. The milestone came in a 93-84 victory against Central Washington at home. 

Paulsen put together a solid season for the Falcons. He started 26 games and averaged 1.17 points per game. He shot 46.6 percent from the field and hit 37.1 percent of his 3-point attempts. Paulsen was tied for 10th in the league with 1.8 3-pointers made per game. Paulsen is consistent from the free throw line, hitting 88.8 percent from the charity stripe for the third-best percentage in the conference. 

Like Anderson, Paulsen contributed in an all-around way. He averaged 4.4 rebounds per game and dished out 2.3 assists per game. Defensively, Paulsen grabbed 24 steals and blocked seven shots.

Paulsen's season-high came against Cal Poly Pomona on Nov. 12. He dropped 29 points on 8-for-12 shooting, with all eight of his makes coming from 3-point range. He had a big night against Simon Fraser on Feb.4 as well. He pulled down a season-high 11 rebounds and drew a momentum-shifting offensive foul in the 82-78 overtime win.  

"Zack's impact extends beyond the court," Leep said. "He is a great leader and displays a deep knowledge of team concepts on both ends of the floor. That allows him to be a consistent contributor. He has shot the ball well all season and has been a great competitor. I'm proud of Zack for his accomplishments this season."

Anderson, Paulsen, and the Falcons take on Northwest Nazarene this Thursday in the opening round of the GNAC Tournament. The game tips off at noon.