SEATTLE – The Seattle Pacific University men's basketball team wraps up the first half of Great Northwest Athletic Conference play this Saturday when they travel to Montana State University Billings for their lone game of the week at 6 p.m. PST.
QUOTABLE
"We will prepare this week to go on the road and play a very good opponent in MSU Billings. I like where our team has been operating from. We're nearing the halfway point in our conference schedule and sit in the middle of the GNAC standings. We'll look to gain momentum this week before playing at home often throughout February." interim head coach
Keffrey Fazio
AN UNBELIEVABLE START
SPU played Western Oregon last Thursday and opened the game as well as they could have. The Falcons left no doubt, opening the game with a 21-0 run on their way to an emphatic 91-56 road victory.
The Falcons offense was phenomenal in the opening minutes against the Wolves. SPU erupted for a 21-0 run over the first six minutes.
Jadin Penigar highlighted the run when he drove down the lane and threw down a monster dunk. The Falcons went 8-for-9, including three 3-pointers during the stretch.
The SPU defense was excellent as well. They hold the Wolves to a 0-for-6 performance over the first six minutes. That led to a 6-for-21 (28.6 percent) effort from the field in the first half. The Falcons forced the Wolves into nine turnovers in the first half and had five steals.
PLENTY OF POINTS FOR PENIGAR
Penigar put together his best weekend with the Falcons against Western Oregon and #3 Saint Martin's. It started on Thursday when he scored a career-high 24 points in SPU's 91-56 win over WOU. He shot 11-for-17 while going 2-for-3 from 3-point range. Penigar's scoring output was highlighted by a monster slam in the opening moments of the game. Then in the second half,
Owen Moriarty had a steal that led to a breakaway alley-oop dunk finished by Penigar.
Penigar was excellent against #3 Saint Martin's. He poured in 18 points, powered by a 5-for-10 performance from deep. He grabbed eight rebounds and dished out two assists.
CLIMBING THE LIST
Shaw Anderson continued to make history for the Falcons. With his eighth point against the Wolves, Anderson scored his 1,700th career point. He became just the fourth player in SPU men's basketball history to reach the total. David Downs (2011-14), Dustin Bremerman (2003-07), and Loren Anderson (1955-58) are the only other Falcons to score 1,700 points or more in program history. Anderson finished with 17 points on 7-for-8 shooting with four assists.
SHOOTING IT WELL
The Falcons have found a rhythm on the offensive end of the floor. Effective field goal percentage is the sum of 3-point field goals made divided by two and field goals made, all divided by field goals attempted. The Falcons own an EFG percentage of 57.4. It's the best in the conference and ranks 19th in the country.
HITTING FROM DEEP
The Falcons are shooting 38.8 percent from 3-point range this season. They're third in the conference and 26th in the country.
Kyle Luttinen leads the conference with 46 made 3-pointers and is averaging 2.3 3-pointers per game. He's tied for 43rd in the country in made 3-pointers.
ABOUT MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY BILLINGS
The Yellowjackets were one win away from their first-ever GNAC regular-season title in 2022-23, as the Yellowjackets put themselves on the map with a second-place finish. First-year head coach Luke Fennelly (who was the associate head coach last year) will need to replace the Yellowjackets' first-ever GNAC Player of the Year in Carrington Wiggins and GNAC Defensive Player of the Year Bilal Shabazz.
The Yellowjackets are 13-5 overall with a 7-1 conference record that leads the GNAC standings. The team defends well, allowing 67.9 points per game to their opponents. Offensively, the Yellowjackets feature four players averaging double-figures this season. Jalen Tot leads the group with 14.1 points per game, followed closely by Daniel Moody's 13.8 points per game.
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