SEATTLE – The Seattle Pacific University men's basketball is set for its final home weekend of the season when Northwest Nazarene visits Royal Brougham Pavilion on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Then on Saturday, the Falcons will honor Trace Evans, Brian Caldera, and Jacob Gray before their game against Central Washington at 2:00 p.m.
QUOTABLE
"Trace is a model student-athlete who not only excels on the basketball court but is a high academic student here at SPU," head coach Keffrey Fazio said. "His three years in our program have been highlighted by his leadership and competitiveness he brings every day. We are lucky he is a Falcon."
"Brian is the ultimate teammate," Fazio said. "He is as selfless as they come. A true energy giver and puts 100% into everything he does usually for the better of others."
"Jacob Gray has been a four-year member of our program and exudes high character and work ethic," Fazio said. "He has been one of the hardest workers day in and day out. There's no question he leaves SPU in a better place."
GNAC TEAM OF THE WEEK
The SPU men's basketball team has been named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Team of the Week after completing season sweeps over Simon Fraser and Western Washington last weekend.
The Falcons are the hottest team in the GNAC. SPU has extended its winning streak to six games after beating Simon Fraser and Western Washington last weekend. The Falcons swept the Red Leafs away 86-78 last Thursday before a heroic shot from Grant Coleman helped the Falcons earn a 64-63 victory over the Vikings.
LATE GAME HEROICS
The Falcons extended their winning streak to six games with a thrilling one-point victory over Western Washington last Saturday.
SPU needed a defensive stop to keep the game within reach. The Vikings worked the clock down to 15 seconds on their final possession. Will Wilson went to the basket for a layup that rolled off the rim. WWU's Trevor White pulled down the rebound and went up for a layup that would have made it a four-point game. Logan Kinloch blocked the attempt and forced a jump ball. The possession arrow favored the Falcons. Kinloch's first career block gave the Falcons the chance to tie or win the game.
SPU's final possession happened with 13 seconds left. Mason Landdeck created a wide-open 3-point attempt for Coleman. He buried it with five seconds left and ultimately gave the Falcons a 64-63 win. The Falcons ended a seven-game winning streak for the Vikings.
LANDDECK'S CAREER NIGHT
Landdeck was unstoppable for the Falcons in SPU's 86-78 victory over Simon Fraser last Thursday night. He finished with a career-best and game-high 31 points on 10-for-17 shooting, including four 3-pointers. He went 7-for-8 from the free throw line while adding three rebounds and three assists to a stellar performance north of the border.
The Falcons finished an excellent shooting percentage against the Red Leafs. They went 32-for-51 (62.7 percent) from the field and knocked down nine 3-point shots. Sharing the ball was key, as they racked up 19 assists for the game.
GNAC STANDINGS
The hunt for a spot in the GNAC Tournament is heating up with three weekends left in the regular season. The Falcons enter the weekend in third in the standings. SPU is 9-4 in conference play. Central Washington leads the standings with a 10-2 record. Northwest Nazarene is in second at 9-3. Saint Martin's sits in fourth at 8-4. Western Washington and MSU Billings are tied for fifth with 7-6 records. Alaska Fairbanks, Alaska Anchorage, Simon Fraser, and Western Oregon round out the standings.
GNAC teams are playing for a spot in the GNAC Tournament on March 6-8 at Saint Martin's in Lacey, Wash. The top six teams in the GNAC standings at the end of the regular season will advance to the GNAC Tournament. The top two seeds earn byes to the semifinal round. The quarterfinal round will match the Nos. 3 and 6 seeds in one game and the Nos. 4 and 5 seeds in the other game. Quarterfinal winners will advance to Friday's semifinals. Semifinal winners will meet on Saturday for the championship.
EFFICIENT ON BOTH ENDS
The Falcons have developed into one of the best shooting teams in the GNAC. They rank third in the conference with a 47.7 field goal percentage. They trail Western Washington (47.8 percent) and Central Washington (50.6 percent). Evans and Jaxon Nap have led the way in terms of offensive efficiency for the Falcons. Evans has knocked down 65.7 percent of his field goal attempts. He ranks third in the conference in that category. Evans also ranks 10th in the country in field goal percentage. Nap is shooting 54.9 percent from the field. He ranks seventh in the conference in field goal percentage.
The SPU defense has been a key factor in the team's six-game winning streak. They're holding opponents a 43.5 shooting percentage. They're tied for third in the conference with that number. Last Saturday was the fifth time during this six-game winning streak that the Falcons have held opponents under 70 points.
A MONSTER ON THE GLASS
Nap continues to put up incredible rebounding numbers for the Falcons. He leads the GNAC with 9.5 rebounds per game. Nap's averaging almost a full rebound more than Elyon Zevenbergen of Alaska Fairbanks. Nap's average of 9.5 rebounds per game is the 19th-best in the country.
SCORING FROM EVERYWHERE
Owen Moriarty is having a strong offensive season for SPU. He leads the team with 15.1 points per game and ranks ninth in the conference in scoring. Moriarty has been magnificent from the free throw line, making 88.9 percent of his attempts. He ranks second in the conference in free throw percentage. Moriarty ranks 25th in the country in free throw percentage.
ABOUT NORTHWEST NAZARENE
The Nighthawks enter the weekend with a 16-4 record and are 9-3 in conference play. They sit one spot ahead of the Falcons in second place in the standings. Kye Dickson leads the GNAC with 18.9 points per game. He's also third in the conference in rebounding with 8.1 points per game. Ryzin Bergersen plays the most minutes in the GNAC at 36.6 minutes per game.
The Falcons and Nighthawks met on Jan. 18 in Nampa, Idaho. The Nighthawks got the better of the Falcons 67-55. Moriarty led the Falcons with 18 points. Nap led the team in rebounds with eight. Henry Sandberg set a career-high in rebounds with seven.
ABOUT CENTRAL WASHINGTON
The Wildcats enter the weekend with a 16-6 record and lead the GNAC with a 10-2 conference record. Mitch Brizee leads the GNAC with a 68.6 field goal percentage. Jordan Clark is the league's best 3-point shooter. He's making 51.8 of his attempts. Cavin Holden runs the CWU offense well, with 4.1 assists per game.
The Falcons and the Wildcats played on Jan. 16 in Ellensburg, Wash. The Wildcats protected home court with an 82-61 win over the Falcons. Nap had a big game with a team-high 19 points and nine rebounds. Evans poured in 13 points and led the team with three assists off the bench for SPU.
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