ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Postseason implications loomed large in Thursday night's Great Northwest Athletic Conference game between the Seattle Pacific University men's basketball team and Alaska Anchorage. The Falcons withstood a late charge from the Seawolves and hung on for a 65-64 road victory, clearing up a previously muddy postseason picture for SPU.
The Falcons entered the final weekend of the regular season fighting for a spot in next weekend's GNAC tournament. SPU and UAA are tied in the win column. Thursday's 65-64 victory gives the Falcons the tiebreaker over the Seawolves.
Western Washington sat idle on Thursday night. The Vikings play Simon Fraser on Saturday with a chance to match SPU's current win total. After a series split with WWU and a massive 91-80 win over Montana State University Billings last Saturday, the Falcons have the tiebreaker over the Vikings.
Unofficially, the Falcons have earned a spot in the GNAC Tournament. It will become official after Saturday's results.
"We had to find a way to earn the win tonight," interim head coach Keffrey Fazio said. "On the road must play until the end. We guarded extremely well. They are hard to play at home. Really proud of our team and the effort."
The end of the first half was pivotal for the Falcons against the Seawolves on Thursday night. They trailed 20-19 when a Shaw Anderson jumper started a 15-4 run that covered the final 5:13 of the first half. SPU went 6-for-7 from the field while holding UAA to just two made field goals. Owen Moriarty led the offensive output with seven points during that span. The run gave the Falcons a 34-24 lead at halftime.
The Falcons led 61-51 with 3:39 left in the game. From there, the Seawolves went on a 13-4 run that put them within a point of the Falcons. SPU survived missing five free throws in the final minute with a key defensive stop. UAA's Jaron Williams had a chance to win the game with a layup, but the ball rolled off the rim and was secured by the Falcons as time expired.
Anderson led the Falcons with 23 points on 8-for-13 shooting, including a 2-for-3 effort from 3-point range. He went 5-for-6 from the free-throw line and pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.
Anderson's career point total moves to 1,943. He's now six points away from becoming the program's all-time scoring leader. He could pass Loren Anderson's record of 1,948 points accrued from 1955-58 in the regular-season finale on Saturday.
Moriarty scored 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting with six rebounds and three assists. Theo McMillan led the Falcons with a team-high five assists.
The Falcons finish the regular season on Saturday at 6:15 p.m. PST when they take on Alaska Fairbanks on the Nanook's home floor.
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