SEATTLE – For the first time in three weeks, the Seattle Pacific University men's basketball team plays at home this weekend. Thursday features a 5:15 p.m. game against Simon Fraser followed by a contest with Western Washington on Saturday at 4:15 p.m. 
 
QUOTABLE
"It's always great to play in front of our home fans. We rely on them for an extra spark as we look to bounce back after a challenging road trip. I am really proud of our team and their collective fight. I believe this team can string a few together and we'll work hard to get that started this weekend."– interim head coach Keffrey Fazio
 
MOVING ON UP
Shaw Anderson scored a game-high 25 points against Central Washington last Saturday. The efficient offensive performance was highlighted by going 4-for-6 from 3-point range. The outburst moved Anderson's career point total to 1,664, moving him into fourth place all-time. He passed Jeff McBroom who scored 1,655 points from 1996-99. Loran Anderson holds the all-time program record with 1,948 points in 103 games from 1955-58. 
 
THE UNSELFISH BUCKET
Anderson continues to fill it up for the Falcons in 2023-24. He's scoring 21 points per game. Anderson trails WWU's Kai Johnson's 21.7 points per game for the most in the conference. Anderson is quietly leading the Falcons in assists with 2.5 per game. 
 
SHOOTING IT WELL
The Falcons rank second in the conference in field goal percentage. They're hitting on 47.9 percent of their attempts, trailing only Western Washington's 51.3 percent. Trace Evans leads the Falcons in field goal percentage, converting on 60.9 percent of his tries. He ranks third in the GNAC.
 
The Falcons are taking advantage of free throws as well, hitting 77.2 percent. The mark from the free throw line is the second-best in the conference.
 
DEADLY FROM DEEP
The Falcons take, and make shots from 3-point range. They're knocking down 9.4 3-pointers per game. They trail Western Washington (9.5 pg) and #5 Saint Martin's (10.7 pg) with the third most 3-pointers per game. 
 
Kyle Luttinen has established himself as one of the best 3-point shooters in NCAA Division II. He averages 2.5 made 3-pointers per game, good enough for second-most in the conference. Luttinen's 40 made 3-pointers are the most in the GNAC and is tied for 21st in the country.  
 
ABOUT SIMON FRASER
Selected 10th in the GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll, Simon Fraser will look for a turnaround season after going 6-22 overall and 1-17 in conference play in 2022-23. The Red Leafs welcome back four starters to their lineup, including David Penney who averaged 10.8 points per game last year. Immanuel Oludele is another returning double-figure scorer at 10.3 points per game for Steve Hanson's club as he enters his eighth season. 
 
It's been a tough start to the 2023-24 season for the Red Leafs. They're 2-12 and are searching for their first GNAC win. The team is allowing 77.1 points per game while scoring 66.4 points per game. Elliot Dimaculangan and David Penney are leading the Rad Leafs with 12.2 points per game and 11.3 points per game respectively. Dimaculangan also leads the team in rebounding with 5.3 boards per game. 
 
ABOUT WESTERN WASHINGTON
Western Washington posted an overall winning record of 15-13 last season but missed out on the conference tournament with an 8-10 mark in league play to finish seventh. Tony Dominguez enters his 12th season in charge of the program and has 10 total returners, including three starters back on a squad that was projected to finish fourth in the preseason poll. 
 
Reigning GNAC Freshman of the Year BJ Kolly and second-team all-conference guard Kai Johnson are the most familiar faces that will be back in the Vikings' lineup. Kolly averaged 10.6 points and 6.2 rebounds while totaling 62 blocked shots in his debut. Johnson ranked 11th in the conference with 12.9 points and 5.3 rebounds, with 3.0 assists per game.
 
The Vikings are off to a strong start in 2023-24, touting a 10-4 record. They're 2-1 in conference play after picking up wins over Simon Fraser and Western Oregon. The Vikings are seventh in the D2CSC West Region top 10. The Vikings score 95.6 points per game, the most in the conference. They have six players averaging double-figures in scoring, led by Kai Johnson's 21.7 points per game. Nice Welp is averaging a double-double with 10.5 points and a team-high 7.2 rebounds per game. 

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