Monday, January 23, 2023

PORTLAND, Ore. – Seattle Pacific handed Montana State Billings its first conference loss of the season by taking a 72-59 win over the Yellowjackets at home on Saturday to earn GNAC Team of the Week honors.

The Falcons opened the game with a defensively strong first half, holding MSUB to just 13.3% shooting from three-point range. While the defense did its job, the offense got rolling shooting 48.3% from the field and 31.3% from beyond the three-point arc, giving SPU a 35-26 lead at halftime.

In the second half, Seattle Pacific limited the long-range scoring opportunities again, holding the Yellowjackets to just three three-pointers. The SPU offense continued to flow from the first half, shooting 54.2% from the field and 45.5% from three-point range in the second frame. The Falcons also finished a perfect 8 for 8 from the free-throw line.

Junior forward Shaw Anderson led the charge for SPU, putting up 15 points to go with three rebounds and three assists. Anderson was one of three Falcons’ to score in the double-digits with sophomores Zack Paulsen and Casson Rouse finishing with 10 points apiece. Paulsen added seven rebounds and two assists while Rouse recorded three boards, two assists and a steal in 23 minutes off the bench. Along with the double-digit scorers, Maui Sze, Syon Blackmon and Kelton Samore all notched nine-point performances.

The victory extended Seattle Pacific’s current win streak to seven games and draws the Falcons level with MSUB with an 8-1 conference record. As a team, the Falcons lead the GNAC and Division II with a .533 field goal percentage. They also lead the conference and rank second in the division with a .432 three-point percentage.

Head Coach Grant Leep points to the group effort as a strength for the team through the first half of the season and hopes to continue this level of play on the road.

 “Our group has been playing hard and playing together over the last few months, so being named as the Team of the Week is always a welcomed honor,” Leep said. “However, our team also knows there is still work to be done as we start the second half of conference play. It was great to be at home for the last three games, now we need to get focused on getting out on the road and maintaining the level of play that we have worked hard to build.”

Seattle Pacific hits the road this week to face Central Washington on Thursday and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.