AZUSA, Calif. – The Seattle Pacific University men's basketball team took on host Azusa Pacific during night one of the PacWest/GNAC challenge on Friday night. Owen Moriarty had a career night, but the Falcons fell 80-66 to the Cougars.
Moriarty was unstoppable for the Falcons against the Cougars on Friday night. He poured in a career-high 23 points on a 9-for-17 shooting performance. Moriarty pulled down a career-high seven rebounds as well. He finished with 23 points, seven rebounds, and two assists for the Falcons.
"I thought Owen did a nice job tonight of picking his spots attacking," head coach Keffrey Fazio said. "It's something he has been working very hard on. He's developed that skill, and we will need him to continue to provide that consistency for us."
The Falcons jumped out to a quick start against the Cougars on Friday night. Henry Sandberg, Jaxon Nap, and Owen Moriarty teamed up to create an 8-2 run over the first 3:12 of the game. The Cougars answered with a 20-0 run over the next 4:13. APU took a 22-8 lead with 12:15 to go in the first half.
The Falcons closed out the final seven minutes of the half well. A 3-pointer from Mason Landdeck sparked a 15-5 run during that stretch. Five different Falcons scored during the run. The stretch helped the Falcons pull to within 11 points at halftime. APU pulled away in the second half to take the game.
"Tonight was tough," Fazio added. "I thought we started well. We had too many breakdowns on defense, and it cost us tonight."
Nap was a point away from a double-double on Friday night. He scored nine points while leading everyone with 10 rebounds. Landdeck scored eight points and had five rebounds. Trace Evans added six rebounds off the bench for the Falcons.
The Falcons play San Marcos in the final night of the PacWest/GNAC Challenge tomorrow night at 5:15 inside the Felix Events Center.
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