NAMPA, Idaho – ­­The Seattle Pacific University men's basketball team returned to Great Northwest Athletic Conference play on Thursday against Northwest Nazarene, as the Falcons and Nighthawks played a game that featured eight ties and 10 lead changes before the home team found a way to grab the contest 55-52.

"Tonight was a tough road battle," Interim head coach Keffrey Fazio said. "I've liked how our guys have been practicing and they showed up ready to compete tonight. NNU is a tough place to play. I'm proud of how hard we played tonight. Needed a few more shots to fall." 

The Falcons and Nighthawks struggled to score throughout Thursday's return to the court. SPU played for the first time since beating San Marcos 73-66 on Dec. 19. They went 15-for-43 (34.9 percent) from the field against the Nighthawks. NNU went 20-for-54 (37 percent) for the game. Both teams hit late free throws, but the Nighthawks survived the Falcons late.

The Falcons had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds. SPU inbounded the ball from the sideline into Shaw Anderson in the post. Off-ball action freed up Kyle Luttinen for a 3-point try in the corner. A costly turnover meant the Falcons couldn't get the potential game-tying shot up.

Both the Falcons and the Nighthawks eased their way back into action on Thursday night. SPU worked out a 9-1 run over the first 4:10 of the game. Four Falcons scored during the stretch while holding NNU to a 0-for-7 shooting performance to open the game.

NNU chipped away at the SPU lead throughout the first half. They'd tie the game at 19-19 with 3:15 to play in the first half. Consecutive buckets from Tru Allen and Yaru Harvey of the Nighthawks gave them a 23-20 lead at halftime.

Coming out of halftime, SPU found their 3-point shot. They went on an 11-6 run over the first 2:04 of the second half. The Falcons were 4-for-4, including made 3-pointers from Shaw Anderson, Maui Sze, and Jadin Penigar. The short burst put the Falcons up 32-29 early in the final frame.

The Falcons and Nighthawks hovered within a basket of each other throughout the second half. The Falcons trailed 49-47 with 1:04 to play in the game. Both teams took advantage of their free throw chances, as the Falcons couldn't tie or take the lead late.

Anderson led the Falcons with 13 points, with a perfect 8-for-8 performance from the free throw line. He's now made 33 consecutive free throws. His last miss from the charity stripe came in the first half of the Falcons' 80-75 victory over Alaska Anchorage on Dec. 2.

Owen Moriarty went 4-for-4 from the free throw line on his way to 10 points. He added two rebounds and two assists. Sze did a bit of everything for the Falcons. He scored five points, corralled seven rebounds, had two assists, and nabbed a steal for an impressive all-around performance.

­The Falcons continue the weekend with a game at Central Washington on Saturday at 6:15 p.m. in Ellensburg, Wash.

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