LACEY, Wash. – Having to bounce back from one double-digit scoring run was going to be challenging enough for the Seattle Pacific Falcons.
 
Then, No. 3-ranked Saint Martin's put together another one.
 
The Saints racked up 15 straight points during a 3½-minute stretch in the middle of the first half, tacked on another 14 in a row through four-plus minutes late in the half and rolled to an 89-71 men's basketball victory against SPU in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference contest on Saturday night in Marcus Pavilion.

 

Senior forward Shaw Anderson led SPU (11-10, 4-4 GNAC) with 23 points, hitting 6 of 12 from the floor and a perfect 9 of 9 from the free throw line. Sophomore guard Jadin Penigar finished with 18, getting 17 of those in the final 3:47 with four makes from 3-point range, a pair of 2-pointers, and one free throw. Owen Moriarty tacked on 14 points.
 
"We're still a good team and we've shown that," Falcons interim head coach Keffrey Fazio said. "But it's a good reminder that we've got work to do. We have to keep finding ways to get better and we need to respond to adversity better."

The Falcons were down just 13-9 with 12:23 left in the first half when a driving lay-up by Anderson ended 6-0 Saints scoring surge.
 
But the next 15 points all went on the Saint Martin's side of the scoreboard. It started with a traditional three-point play by Tyke Thompson. Then, it was four consecutive makes from behind the arc – Marcel Stevens, Jaden Nelson-Skinner, Stevens again, and then Thompson, making it 28-9 with 9:05 to go in the half.
 
Seattle Pacific missed four shots and turned it over three times during that stretch before a pair of Anderson free throws at the 8:51 mark finally got the Falcons back on the board.
 
With the score at 34-16 inside the five-minute mark, the Saints (16-1, 6-1 GNAC) started their 14-0 outburst for a 48-16 advantage.
 
It was 48-18 at the break.
 
 

"They're already a good team, and when you know you have a team kind of reeling a little bit, it puts you into another gear – and we saw that gear from them," Fazio said. "They're really good, and they're especially good in transition. We scored 18 points in the first half, a lot of balls off the rim, and they were running and playing fast early. That's exactly what they wanted.
 
SPU hit just 35.4 percent for the game (23 of 65). Saint Martin's took the exact same number of shots, but hit 11 more, 34 of 65, for 52.3 percent.
 
"They kept us out of rhythm," Fazio said. "The shots we were getting were contested, a little forced, and they were also double-teaming in the post. Their objective was to disrupt our rhythm, our timing, our spacing, and we just didn't respond well. It was more they dictated the shots we took rather than the shots we wanted."

BY THE NUMBERS
-- Jadin Penigar's game-high eight rebounds helped give the Falcons a 42-38 edge.
-- Maui Sze dished seven assists for the Falcons.
-- Kyle Greeley's 16 points led a group of six Saint Martin's players in double figures.
-- SPU turned it over just 13 times, but the Saints converted those into 20 points. The Falcons had eight points off nine Saint Martin's turnovers.
 
UP NEXT
Seattle Pacific concludes the first half of hits GNAC schedule next Saturday, visiting Montana State Billings. Tip-off is at 6:00 p.m. The Falcons have a bye on Thursday.


NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024
Marcus Pavilion / Lacey, Wash.
 
(No. 3) Saint Martin's 89, Seattle Pacific 71
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (11-10, 4-4 GNAC)
Evans 2-5 0-2 4, Anderson 6-12 9-9 23, Moriarty 6-15 1-2 14, Penigar 6-17 1-2 18, Sze 1-4 1-2 3, Luttinen 1-2 2-5 4, La Tour 0-5 2-2 2, Schoenerstedt 1-5 0-0 3, McMillan 0-0 0-0 0, Elsner 0-0 0-0 0.  Totals 23-65 16-24 71.
 
SAINT MARTIN'S (16-1, 6-1 GNAC)
Stokes 1-1 0-0 3, Alcindor 5-9 0-0 10, Hansen 2-5 0-0 4, Greeley 6-12 2-2 16, Nielsen-Skinner 4-7 0-0 10, Thompson 5-7 2-2 14, Samuels 4-9 5-6 14 Stevens 4-9 0-2 11, Moore 1-3 0-2 2, Lenker 0-0 0-0 0, Schramm 2-3 1-2 5.  Totals 34-65 10-16 89.
 
Seattle Pacific     18           53           -- 71
Saint Martin's      48           41           -- 89
 
3-point goals – SPU 9-29 (Anderson 2-3, Moriarty 1-5, Penigar 5-10, Sze 0-3, La Tour 0-3, Schoenerstedt 1-5), STM 11-24 (Stokes 1-1, Alcindor 0-1, Hansen 0-3, Greeley 2-4, Nielsen-Skinner 2-2, Thompson 2-3, Samuels 1-3, Stevens 3-7).  Fouled out – None.  Rebounds – SPU 42 (Penigar 8), STM 38 (Greeley 7).  Assists – SPU 12 (Sze 7), STM 15 (Nielsen-Skinner 5).  Turnovers (points allowed) – SPU 13 (20), STM 9 (8).  Total fouls – SPU 18, STM 20.  Technical fouls – None.  Attendance – 315.
 
 
NEXT GAME
Seattle Pacific at Montana State Billings
Saturday, Jan. 27     6:00 p.m. PST
Alterowitz Gymnasium / Billings, Mont.
 

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