Thursday, March 3, 2016

LACEY, Wash. – Will Parker’s three-pointer with six-tenths of a second left allowed No. 4 seed Seattle Pacific to fly away with a 69-65 win over No. 5 Central Washington in a nip-and-tuck GNAC Men’s Basketball Championships quarterfinals game Thursday at Saint Martin’s University’s Marcus Pavilion.

It was the only points of the game for the junior, whose shot capped a comeback from as much as eight points down midway through the second half for the win.

The victory came despite a struggle of a shooting performance for Seattle Pacific, which finished 39.7 percent from the field (23-58). First Team All-GNAC forward Mitch Penner led the Falcons with 25 points, connecting on 11 of 19 from the field, to go along with eight rebounds. Bryce Leavitt connected for 14 points while Gilles Dierickx registered a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds.

The ending quashed a great shooting performance for the Wildcats, who connected on 50 percent from the field (29-58) and 35.7 percent from three-point range. First Team All-GNAC forward Joseph Stroud led four CWU players in double figures with 19 points as he connected on 9 of 18 from the field. Devin Matthews added 12 points on 6 of 8 from the field, Naim Ladd contributed 11 points and Gary Jacobs had 10.

With the win, Seattle Pacific (22-7 overall) earns the right for a match-up in the semifinals with No. 1 seed Western Oregon on Friday at 2:15 p.m. Central Washington finishes their season at 19-7.

The Wildcats had the early momentum, jumping out to a 14-8 lead on Jacobs’ three-pointer at the 13:46 mark before Ladd extended the lead to 17-8 with his first trey just a minute later. The nine-point advantage held until Brendan Carroll’s lay-in at the 7:13 mark started a 13-4 run for the Falcons over the next four minutes, culminating on Gabe Colosimo’s two free throws with 3:05 to go that tied the game at 25-25. Both teams cooled from the field as they went into halftime tied 29-29.

Neither team led by more than three points through the first eight minutes of the second half. That changed when Leavitt’s lay-in with 12 minutes to go sparked a 9-0 run that put the Falcons up 51-43 midway through the stanza. Central Washington answered back with a 10-2 run of their own, tying it back up at 53-53 on Stroud’s three-pointer with 6:24 left. The teams traded leads twice down the stretch and Matthews tied the game for the Wildcats at 65-65 before Parker hit his game-winner on the next possession.

Seattle Pacific controlled the glass, out-rebounding Central Washington 38-28. The Falcons also excelled at the free throw line, connecting on 81.8 percent (18-22).