SEATTLE – Saturday was a special day for Seattle Pacific men's basketball guard
Maui Sze, who picked up his 1,000
th collegiate point in an 82-76 SPU victory over Western Oregon inside Royal Brougham Pavilion.
Sze arrived at SPU after two seasons at Bellevue College. He amassed 689 points with the Bulldogs before becoming a Falcon. Sze entered the game just three points shy of 1,000. With 3:19 left to play in the first half, Sze knocked down a three to capture the milestone.
"It means a lot," Sze said. "It's been a lot of hard work. A lot of hours. This wasn't even a goal of mine but just to hit it while playing collegiate basketball is something not everyone does. Being able to hit that mark with these guys, and this coaching staff makes it even more special."
Sze finished with 13 points on 4-for-5 shooting with five rebounds and a team-high six assists.
"He's been here two seasons and has been a big culture-shifter for us," Interim head coach Kaffrey Fazio said of Sze. "He brings leadership. He's one of the smartest players I've ever coached. He's earned that respect from his teammates and even the league because of how smart he is and the way he competes. He's had to prove that he's belonged every step of his journey. It's cool to see his dedication has paid off with this milestone. We're lucky he's with us."
Sze's 1,000th collegiate point was the start of a 14-10 run that closed out the half for the Falcons. SPU went 5-for-7 during that stretch with three mad3 3-pointers.
Shaw Anderson capped the run with a tough layup through contact. He converted the free throw, and the Falcons went into halftime up 39-33.
The Falcons stayed on the gas coming out of halftime. SPU went on an 11-4 run over the first three minutes of the final period.
Trace Evans led the balanced scoring stretch with four points. SPU led 50-37, controlled the second half, and took the game 82-76.
Anderson led everyone with 23 points on 7-for-12 shooting. He made all seven free throw attempts while adding three rebounds and two assists to his totals.
Jadin Penigar capped a strong weekend with 17 points on 7-for-14 shooting.
Owen Moriarty and Sze finished with 13 points each.
"Western Oregon is a very scrappy team that always plays hard," Fazio said. "We started a little slow but found our footing in at the end of the first half. The key was getting a few stops defensively which allowed us to create some separation. We were glad to bounce back today."
The Falcons plan to celebrate Sze, Anderson,
Kobe Elsner, and
DJ Clark before their game against MSU Billings on Saturday, Feb. 24th at 2 p.m.
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