Tuesday, January 3, 2023

PORTLAND, Ore. – Seattle Pacific earned GNAC Team of the Week Honors after handing Northwest Nazarene and nationally-ranked Central Washington their first conference losses of the season.

The Falcons opened the final week of 2022 with a 58-45 win over the Nighthawks on Thursday at home in Seattle. Senior forwards Natalie Hoff and Ashley Alter led the charge for the SPU with both players recording double-doubles. Hoff tallied 20 points and 12 rebounds to go with two blocks, two steals and an assist while Alter backed her up with 17 points and 14 with five steals, two assists and a block.

Seattle Pacific doubled down and ended the year on a high, taking a 70-63 win over Central Washington on Saturday to hand the Wildcats just their second loss of the season. Alter popped off for 31 points to go with nine rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block in the win. She lef three SPU players in double-digits and secured individual honors as the GNAC Women’s Basketball Player of the Week.

Hoff put together another strong night on Saturday as well with 14 points, four rebounds and three assists while sophomore guard Hunter Beirne chipped in for 10 points along with eight rebounds, four assists and a steal.

The pair of wins lifted the Falcons to 3-1 in conference play and third in the GNAC standings. In addition to strong offensive performances from key players, SPU also benefitted from stout defense, finishing the week tied for first in scoring defense on the week in the conference and second with a scoring margin of +10.

Head coach Mike Simonson pointed to the defensive effort along with the wider scope of how the team played as proof that the team’s identity is coming to the forefront.

“What I’m really happy about is that both games this week were basically what SPU basketball is,” Simonson said. “Regardless of wins or losses this weekend, we played tough, hard-nosed defense for two games. We passed the ball really well and we shared it. When it came down to winning time and crunch time, we had a game-winning plan. I believe that’s who we are. It’s great to go 2-0, but what I’m really excited about is our identity is starting to break through at the perfect time as we get into conference play.”

Seattle Pacific will start the new year on the road, facing Western Oregon on Thursday and Saint Martin’s on Saturday.