BILLINGS, Mont. – The Seattle Pacific University men's basketball team traveled to Montana State University Billings on Saturday for a matchup against the conference-leading Yellowjackets, where a cold stretch in the first half stung the Falcons as they fell 81-75 to the Yellowjackets.
The Falcons opened the game well against the Yellowjackets. Over the first 8:02, SPU went on a 20-11 run over MSUB. The Falcons went 9-for-14 from the field, as Owen Moriarty (9), Trace Evans (6), and Kyle Luttinen (5) combined for the points.
Momentum swung violently to the side of the Yellowjackets in the final 12 minutes of the first half. The result was a 27-6 run that gave MSU Billings a 38-26 lead at halftime. Shaw Anderson and Maui Sze made a 3-pointer each during that span.
"They made their run," interim head coach Keffrey Fazio said. "We didn't respond, then had to catch up obviously from there. It has been a little bit of a trend with us. Being able to respond to those ups and downs has been challenging for us this year. We'll learn from this and are excited to play at home on Thursday."
The Falcons shot just 39.2 percent (11-for-28) in the first half of Saturday's game. They'd go on to perform much better in the second half, hitting on 58.6 percent (17-for-29) of their attempts, with eight made 3-pointers.
The Falcons cut the lead to seven points with 1:50 left, but the Yellowjackets were able to keep pace with SPU's strong second-half offense and keep the Falcons at arm's length.
Anderson led the Falcons with 20 points on 6-for-12 shooting. He'd add six rebounds and dish out three assists for a strong all-around night. Moriarty scored 14 points on 6-for-8 shooting with a rebound and four assists. Evans scored 12 points on 6-for-9 shooting with a team-high seven points.
The Falcons return to Royal Brougham Pavilion for the first time in two weeks on Feb. 1. SPU hosts Central Washington at 7 p.m. on Thursday.
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