SEATTLE – The Seattle Pacific University men's basketball team briefly lifts the lid on Great Northwest Athletic Conference play this Saturday when they host Montana State University Billings at 2 p.m. inside Royal Brougham Pavilion.
QUOTABLE
"MSUB has been a good team in our conference the last few years," head coach
Keffrey Fazio said. "They have a more experienced group compared to ours. We'll have a play to play smart and tough basketball to win. I feel like our guys are close to finding sustained success. We will prepare this week in practice and try to put a solid 40-minute game together. Conference play is all about finding ways to win. That mindset starts this Saturday on our home floor."
IT WAS A BIG NIGHT FOR BIG TRUCK
Trace Evans rose up against No. 13 Point Loma last Friday afternoon. Evans was fantastic for the Falcons against the Sea Lions. He scored a career-high 27 points on an efficient 13-for-18 shooting performance. The big man from down under gobbled up nine rebounds. His passing was on point, dishing out four assists in the game. Evans led the Falcons in all three categories on Friday.
A MILESTONE FOR MORIARTY
Last weekend was noteworthy for
Owen Moriarty, who surpassed 1,000 collegiate points during the PLNU Thanksgiving Classic. Moriarty's milestone culminated in his second season with SPU. Moriarty has scored 1,000 collegiate points between Bellevue College and Seattle Pacific. He joined the Falcons after a season at nearby Bellevue College. Moriarty scored 596 points with the Bulldogs during the 2022-23 season.
Moriarty has started every game for the Falcons since arriving at SPU. His SPU total has moved to 456 points over the weekend. Moriarty's start to the 2024-25 season has been excellent. He's scoring 16.6 points per game, the most on the team. He's also averaging 3.8 rebounds per game and two assists for the Falcons.
AROUND THE GNAC
Moriarty's 2024-25 scoring output has been among the best in the GNAC. His 16.6 points per game is sixth best in the conference. He's taking advantage of his opportunities at the free throw line, converting 86.1 percent of his chances. That's the third-best free throw percentage in the league.
Evans' efficiency is second to none in the conference. He's making 67.5 percent of his attempts while averaging a career-best 13.6 points per game. Evans leads the league in field goal percentage and is second on the team in points per game.
Jaxon Nap continues to rebound well for the Falcons. He's pulled down 7.1 rebounds per game so far in 2024-25. That's the third-best average in the GNAC.
ABOUT MSU BILLINGS
The Yellowjackets entered this season by being picked second by the GNAC coaches in the preseason poll. Jalen Tot returns after leading MSUB to its first GNAC regular season title a year ago. Tot was selected as the D2CCA West Region Player of the Year last season and is the GNAC Preseason Player of the Year entering this season. Tot's teammate Famous Lefthand joined Tot on the Preseason All-Conference team.
MSUB is off to a strong 7-2 start this season. Tot leads the team and the GNAC with 17.2 points per game. Lefthand isn't far from his teammate, with 10.4 points per game. The Yellowjackets are scoring 72.9 points per game while holding opponents to 67.8 points per game.
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