SEATTLE – Seattle Pacific University men's basketball head coach
Keffrey Fazio announced the team's 2024-25 schedule on Friday featuring an exhibition against Washington, 11 nonconference games, and a loaded Great Northwest Athletic Conference schedule that culminates in the Conference Tournament on March 6-8 hosted by Saint Martin's.
"We're excited about the 2024-25 season," head coach
Keffrey Fazio said. "We'll play a loaded nonconference schedule that features strong teams in the west region. Those games will help us learn about ourselves before we take on familiar GNAC opponents. Our conference is always competitive. We're looking forward to getting the season started."
The Falcons open the 2024-25 season at home when they host the CCAA Crossover Nov. 8-9. SPU takes on Chico State and Cal Poly Pomona, with both games tipping off at 7:30 p.m. The busy stretch continues with a rare Monday night match up against Cal State Dominguez Hills at 7:00 p.m.
Recently, the Falcons added an exhibition game against the University of Washington. The Falcons visit the Huskies on Nov. 13 at 7:00 p.m. It will be the first time the Falcons have played inside Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion since Nov. 1, 2018. The game will be on the Big10+. Tickets for the meeting between the Falcons and Huskies are available now.
SPU plays one of two four-team tournaments on Nov. 15-16 at the PacWest/GNAC Challenge. They take on Azusa Pacific at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 15 followed by a game against San Marcos at 5:15 p.m. the next day. On Nov. 29-30, the Falcons are in San Diego for the PLNU Thanksgiving Classic. They play host Point Loma, then Vanguard, with each game starting at 2:00 p.m.
The Falcons wrap up nonconference play with three games in December. SPU hosts Cal State East Bay on Dec. 14 at 5:00 p.m. Evergreen State visits the Falcons on Dec. 18 at 6:00 p.m. Then on Dec. 21, the Falcons close out the year against Douglas College at 5:00 p.m.
The Falcons are anticipating another highly competitive GNAC season. Conference play starts on Dec. 7 when they host Montana State University Billings at 2:00 p.m. Western Washington comes to town on Jan. 9 for a 7:30 p.m. game. The end of January features another notable home stand when the Falcons play four consecutive matches at Royal Brougham Pavilion. SPU closes out their home conference schedule on Feb. 15 against Central Washington. The Falcons celebrate their seniors before the game at 2:00 p.m.
SPU's season ends with three consecutive road games. It starts with a trip to Alaska to play Alaska Fairbanks on Feb. 20 at 8:30 p.m. PST. Then on Feb. 22, the Falcons play Alaska Anchorage at 8:30 p.m. PST. The regular season concludes with a trip to Billings, MT to take on the Yellowjackets at 1:00 p.m.
The GNAC announced its Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll on Oct. 17, featuring Seattle Pacific selected for a seventh-place finish in the conference.
Central Washington tied for third in last year's GNAC standings at 22-10 overall and 11-7 in league play. The Wildcats earned 90 points, including four first-place votes to top the poll. CWU edged second-place Montana State Billings by five points. The Yellowjackets won last year's GNAC regular-season title at 20-10 overall and 14-4 in league play. Northwest Nazarene rounded out the top three with 70 points.
Alaska Anchorage and Saint Martin's tied for fourth with 69 points and a first-place vote each. Western Washington also received a first-place vote but landed one spot ahead of the Falcons with 52 points. Simon Fraser, Western Oregon, and Alaska Fairbanks round out the GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll.
The Falcons finished the 2023-24 season with a 17-15 overall record and went 10-8 in conference play. They were dominant at Royal Brougham Pavilion, owning an 11-2 record at home last season. The Falcons finished fifth in the GNAC and qualified for the GNAC Tournament for the 12th time since the tournament began in 2011. It's the most of any team in the conference. It was the sixth consecutive appearance in the GNAC Tournament for SPU.
The GNAC announced its Men's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team on Oct. 22, with Seattle Pacific's
Owen Moriarty and
Jaxon Nap named as selections.
Moriarty enters his second season with the Falcons after transferring from nearby Bellevue College. He made an immediate impact for SPU, appearing in and starting 31 games in 2023-24. He averaged 10.4 points per game and shot 49.6 percent from the field. Moriarty totaled 89 rebounds and 56 assists. Defensively, he nabbed 28 steals, the most on the Falcons.
Moriarty had multiple signature moments throughout his first season with the Falcons. He scored a season-high 19 points in a 91-80 win over MSU Billings on Feb. 24. His best game came against Western Oregon when he had season-highs in rebounds (8) and assists (5) in an 82-69 SPU victory.
Nap is new to the Falcons for the 2024-25 season. He joins SPU after two seasons at the University of Montana. Nap appeared in 62 games for the Grizzlies, where he shot 44.9 percent from the field, grabbed 71 rebounds, and dished out 29 assists.
The Falcons return nine players for the 2024-25 season.
Trace Evans figures to be a key piece for the Falcons this season. Evans appeared in and started 32 games last season. Evans averaged 9.3 points per game and had the second-best field goal percentage in the conference at 57.4 percent. He led the team in rebounding with 5.5 per game.
Mason Landdeck joins the Falcons as a transfer from Le Moyne College. Landdeck played a season at Eastern Washington and Hawaii Pacific previously. He averaged 12.7 points per game, 3.8 assists per game, and pulled down 3.4 rebounds per game with the Sharks. Landdeck spent a season at Le Moyne College before joining the Falcons this season.
Henry Sandberg is new to the Falcons a is a first-year player from Gonzaga Prep. Sandberg played four years of varsity basketball and was an All-League Honorable Mention as a sophomore. As a junior, he made Second Team All-League and Second Team All-State. In his final year with Gonzaga Prep, he was named First Team All-League and Defensive Player of the Year.
The Falcons play an exhibition game against Lewis and Clark on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. The game is free to attend and will not be streamed on YouTube.
SPU SOCIAL
Seattle's only NCAA Division II Scholarship Program | #GoFalcons
