SEATTLE – The Seattle Pacific University men's basketball team honored Trace Evans, Brian Caldera, and Jacob Gray before their game against Central Washington, which went down to the final buzzer. The Falcons took a shot at the win in the closing seconds, but the Wildcats escaped Royal Brougham Pavilion with the game, 68-66.
"Any time you get to honor players that represent your program on and off the playing surface is special," head coach Keffrey Fazio said. "Today we honored Trace, Brian, and Jacob. All three are exceptional human beings and the impact that they have had on our program, simply put, has made us a better team.
The Falcons welcomed a tough test in the Wildcats on Senior Day. CWU entered the game in first in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings. SPU entered the game in second place. Saturday's contest featured seven ties and six lead changes and came down to the final second.
The Falcons had their final possession against the Wildcats with 14 seconds left. CWU knocked the ball out of bounds with 1.1 seconds left. Mason Landdeck scanned the floor to inbound the ball. He found Grant Coleman on the wing. It was the same connection that gave the Falcons a last-second 64-63 win over Western Washington a week ago. This time, Coleman's 3-point try was long, and the Wildcats escaped Seattle with the win.
The Falcons gained their largest lead in the contest with 11:03 left to play. SPU opened the second half with a 20-9 run over the Wildcats. Jaxon Nap was superb during that stretch, leading the Falcons with 10 points. The Falcons held the Wildcats to a 2-for-10 shooting performance while they created separation. SPU led 50-41 with 11 minutes left in the game.
Momentum swung in favor of the Wildcats over the final 10 minutes of the game. They answered SPU's run with a 22-10 stretch. Garrett Anderson led the Wildcats with 12 points during that span. The Falcons went cold, shooting 4-for-11 late in the game. The Wildcats found a way to hang on for the win.
"Credit Central for finding a way to win down the stretch," Fazio said. "They made more winning plays late to come out on top. I'm proud of our guys, their effort, and their competitiveness today. We just didn't make enough plays down the stretch to get it done. We will get back to work like we always do."
Nap led the Falcons with 18 points on 7-for-12 shooting. He added 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season. Landdeck had a strong offensive night as well. He scored 17 points and went 5-for-6 from the free throw line. Landdeck had four rebounds and two assists.
Evans finished his senior day with 13 points, six rebounds, and a team-high four assists. Owen Moriarty scored 11 points on 4-for-7 shooting, and six rebounds.
The game slipped away from the Falcons on the glass. The Wildcats pulled down 10 offensive rebounds and turned them into 17 second-chance points.
The Falcons play the final two weekends of the regular season on the road. Next week, the Falcons travel to Alaska for a game against the Nanooks on Thursday, Feb. 20 at 8:30 p.m. PST followed by a matchup against the Seawolves on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 8:30 p.m. PST.
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