SEATTLE—The Seattle Pacific University men's basketball team hosted Cal State East Bay on Saturday evening inside Royal Brougham Pavilion. Turnovers proved costly for the Falcons, allowing the Pioneers to take the game, 71-64.
Turnovers hurt the Falcons in the first half against the Pioneers. SPU turned it over 11 times in the first half, leading to eight steals from the Pioneers. The Falcons caught a break, as the Pioneers scored four points off of turnovers in the first 20 minutes of the game.
The Falcons struggled to possess the ball in the second half, resulting in eight turnovers. The Pioneers took advantage of those turnovers, scoring 20 points off of them.
"We turned the ball over too often tonight," head coach
Keffrey Fazio said. "Our turnovers gave them life. When teams pressure us, we have to be better about handling that pressure and executing through it. Their pressure kept us from finding rhythm on offense. Defensively, we hung in as long as we could."
The Falcons showed resiliency throughout Saturday's contest. SPU had to fight back into the game when CSUEB got out to a 27-19 lead with 8:14 to go in the first half.
Julian Mora splashed home a 3-pointer that started the SPU comeback. They went on a 12-3 run over 5:49. The Falcons went 5-for-8 during that stretch.
Trace Evans led the run with four points. The Falcons led 31-30 by the time the run was finished. A late basket from the Pioneers gave them a 34-32 lead at halftime.
Jonas La Tour had an excellent first half for the Falcons. He led everyone with 14 points while going 3-for-5 from 3-point range. He added five rebounds and a steal to his first half total.
SPU needed another run after CSUEB jumped out to a 42-34 lead coming out of halftime. Two free throws from
Owen Moriarty started a 13-7 run over the next 7:08 of the game. Moriarty led the offensive push with seven points during that run. The momentum pulled the Falcons to within two, as they trailed 49-47 with 9:49 left.
SPU went cold with 8:05 left to play. They conceded a 15-0 run to the Pioneers that helped the visitors secure the game. The Falcons went 0-for-7 from the field during that stretch.
Once again, the Falcons found a way to fight back into the game. They busted out a 15-4 run during the final 2:41 of the game. The segment was highlighted by a monster dunk from
Jaxon Nap. Nap and Moriarty had five points each during that span. Unfortunately, the Falcons ran out of time and fell to the Pioneers.
SPU plays two more games next week before winter break. They host Evergreen State on Wednesday at 6 p.m., followed by a match up against Douglas College at home on Dec. 21 at 5 p.m.
SPU SOCIAL
Seattle's only NCAA Division II Scholarship Program | #GoFalcons