SEATTLE – The Seattle Pacific University men's basketball team hosted Western Washington on Saturday evening as four Falcons scored in double-figures, while the defense shut down the high-octane offense of the Vikings to give SPU an 89-74 victory.
 
The Falcons knew they'd be tested defensively against the Vikings. WWU leads the Great Northwest Athletic Conference with 94.9 points per game. SPU locked in, holding the visitors under 80 points for just the second time this season. WWU went 23-for-55 (41.8 percent) from the field with just seven made 3-pointers.
 
"We knew that we'd have to find ways to slow them down at times, while not losing our rhythm offensively from going slow," interim head coach Keffrey Fazio said. "I thought our guys did a great job of finding that balance. Anytime we play Western, there is so much energy and excitement. We wanted to be in the moment and find the balance needed to execute, and our guys did that tonight."  
 
SPU's offense was in sync with its defense against WWU. The Falcons went 32-for-55 (58.2 percent) from the field with 11 made 3-pointers. Those threes proved to be timely, as the Falcons knocked down nine in the second half and shot nearly 70 percent from 3-point range.
SPU dished out 14 assists led by five from Maui Sze.
 
Trace Evans, Owen Moriarty, Sze, and Shaw Anderson scored in double-figures for the Falcons. Evans led everyone with 18 points on a 9-for-14 shooting. He added nine rebounds, an assist, and a block for a stellar night.
 
Moriarty put together a quality game for the Falcons. He scored 17 points on 5-for-7 shooting including two made 3-pointers. He added four assists to his offensive production.
 
Sze paired five assists with 15 points. He went 5-for-7 as well, with four made 3-pointers. Three of Sze's long-range shots came during a 13-7 run from 7:42 to 4:18 in the second half. Each one put SPU closer to its eventual win.
 
"Maui made three big-time shots to keep us going," Fazio said. "Western is so relentless, it's never over with them. That stretch with Maui knocking those threes down was huge. Whenever we needed the big play, our team came through. It's a credit to our guys and their togetherness and willingness to do what it takes to beat a good team."
 
The Falcons are on the road next weekend. They'll head to Western Oregon on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
 
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