SEATTLE – Rematches against Great Northwest Athletic Conference teams begin this weekend for the Seattle Pacific University men's basketball team. The Falcons host Western Oregon on Thursday at 7 p.m. followed by a meeting with #25 Saint Martin's on Saturday at 4:15 p.m.
QUOTABLE
"We're equipped with more information on teams we're playing for the second time in a season," head coach
Keffrey Fazio said. "However, teams often changed quite a bit throughout that time. I believe our team has changed. In a lot of ways, our preparation doesn't change. We turn the game film on and we study. We prepare a game plan and try and execute it. That will be our goal this week."
HELD THEM OFF
The Falcons team welcomed the University of Alaska Anchorage inside Royal Brougham Pavilion on Thursday evening, where the Falcons earned a tough 64-60 victory over the Seawolves.
Four Falcons scored in double-figures in last Thursday's game against the Seawolves.
Mason Landdeck was tremendous, scoring a game-high 19 points. He made shots in crucial moments throughout the game.
Owen Moriarty and
Jonas La Tour scored 11 points each. Moriarty was 4-for-4 from the free throw line. It was the ninth time this season that Moriarty made every attempt he took from the free throw line in a game. La Tour hit two 3-pointers and grabbed two rebounds.
Trace Evans finished with 10 points. He went 5-for-7 from the field with five rebounds and a team-high three assists.
Jaxon Nap was one point away from a double-double. He scored nine points and pulled down 10 rebounds. It was Nap's ninth game with double-digit rebounds this season.
A PHENOMENAL FINISH
The Falcons leaned on
Owen Moriarty and a defensive stop at the end of their game against Alaska Fairbanks last Saturday. Clutch moments gave the Falcons a 56-54 victory over the Nanooks.
The Falcons and Nanooks were tied with 40 seconds left on Saturdays. SPU worked the ball to Moriarty on the left wing. He drove baseline, spun toward the middle of the lane, and hit a short-range jump shot to give the Falcons a 56-54 lead.
The Falcons still needed a stop on the other end of the floor. The Nanooks had a timeout but chose to play the game out. UAF's Chris Lee settled for a long 3-pointer over SPU's Evans to win the game. He missed. Moriarty grabbed the rebound and the win for the Falcons.
What proceeded at the end of the game was almost as good as the finish. The Falcons trailed 52-48 with 4:32 to play. From there, the Falcons finished the contest on a 9-2 run. Moriarty found Nap under the rim for a layup to cut the Nanook's lead to two. On the next possession, Evans found Nap again to tie the game at 52. SPU took the lead with 1:52 to play when Nap assisted a hook shot from La Tour. The Falcons set themselves up for a win with assists on three consecutive possessions.
DEFENSE LED THE WAY
The Falcons leaned on their defense to pick up a pair of conference wins last weekend. They held the Seawolves and the Nanooks under 40 percent from the field in each game. UAA went 21-for-53 (39.6 percent) from the field on Thursday, while the Nanooks shot 36.2 percent (21-for-58) shooting performance on Saturday. The Falcons gained an edge on the glass, outrebounding opponents 73-58 last weekend.
WHERE THEY STACK UP
The GNAC standings are taking shape midway through the conference schedule. Northwest Nazarene, Saint Martin's, and Central Washington are tied for the top spot in the conference with a 7-2 record. The Falcons and Alaska Fairbanks are tied with a 5-4 record. Western Washington and MSU Billings are 4-5. The top six teams at the end of the regular season advance to the GNAC Tournament at Saint Martin's on March 6-8.
SHOOTING IT WELL
The Falcons rank third in the conference in field goal percentage. They're hitting on 47.2 percent of their attempts this season. Evans and Nap have led the way as top-10 shooters in the conference. Evans is shooting 65.4 percent this season and ranks third in the conference. Nap's 53.8 percent effort is eighth best in the GNAC.
MAKING THE FREE ONES
Moriarty is having an excellent season for the Falcons. He leads the team with 15.4 points per game. Moriarty converts free throws often, hitting on 88.5 percent of his attempts. It's the third-best free throw percentage in the conference. Moriarty has made every free throw attempt he's taken in 10 games this season. Moriarty enters the weekend with 15 consecutive made free throws over his last three games.
ABOUT WESTERN OREGON
The Wolves enter the weekend with a 4-15 record and are 1-8 in GNAC play. The Falcons and Wolves met in Monmouth, Ore. on Jan. 4. SPU beat WOU 81-68. Moriarty scored a game-high 24 points on 8-for-13 shooting. Nap scored 19 points and had nine rebounds. La Tour had a season-best rebounding performance with a game-high 12 boards.
ABOUT #25 SAINT MARTIN'S
The Saints have had a strong 2024-25 season, touting an 18-4 record, and are 7-2 in conference. They ranked 25th in the most recent National Association of Basketball Coaches national poll. The Falcons and Saints played in Lacey, Wash. on Jan. 2. The Saints protected their home court, taking down the Falcons 71-53. Moriarty led the Falcons with 14 points on 5-for-10 shooting. Landdeck was the only other Falcon in double-figures, finishing with 12 points. Nap grabbed 14 rebounds against the Saints.
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