Monday, January 6, 2020

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Seattle Pacific men’s basketball team picked up where it left off, snagging conference wins at home over Alaska Anchorage and Alaska to extend its winning streak to eight games and earn the first GNAC Team of the Week award for 2020.

The Falcons traded punches to edge out Alaska Anchorage, 83-76, on Thursday to hand the Seawolves their first conference loss of the season. The Falcons scored 36 points in the paint and made 18 of 19 from the free throw line.

The Falcons returned to Brougham Pavilion on Saturday and topped Alaska, 86-68, to snap the Nanooks’ three-game winning streak. The Falcons shot 52.5 percent from the field, 39.3 percent from three-point range and 84.6 percent from the free throw line while limiting the Nanooks to a .350 field goal percentage.

“This is the best post-Christmas prep that our guys have ever had,” head coach Grant Leep said. “They’ve been handling things with maturity and energy that are infectious. It’s fun to come to practice every day and they do such a great job of absorbing information and then applying it on the court.”

Freshman forward Shaw Anderson was selected as the GNAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week after he averaged 22 points and 7.5 rebounds per game while shooting 61.5 percent from the field.

Anderson opened the week with 11 points and six rebounds against the Seawolves. He then erupted for a career-high 33 points to go with nine rebounds and three assists against the Nanooks, connecting on 12 of 16 from the field, 4 of 5 from outside and 5 of 6 from the free throw line.

“He can play inside and he can play out,” Leep said about Anderson. “We can move him all over our offense and the kid can flat out put the ball in the basket. And his best ball is still in front of him.”

Sophomore guard Divant’e Moffitt shot 50 percent from the field on the week. He led all scorers against the Seawolves with 18 points to go along with five assists, two rebounds, a block and a steal. He followed with 14 points, five assists and three rebounds against the Nanooks.

Senior guard Gavin Long also scored in double digits in both games, picking up 15 points against the Seawolves and 14 points against the Nanooks. He made 68.8 percent from the field and was perfect from the free throw line.

“One of the goals that our team has is to win the league,” Leep said. “Our league is so tough and so deep. The two teams that we played last week are really good.”

Seattle Pacific improved to 8-4 overall and sits alone atop the GNAC standings with a 4-0 conference record. The Falcons have won eight straight games after dropping their first four of the season.