MEN’S BASKETBALL:

The men’s basketball team had a busy week of competition as they played three games. Beginning on Monday, Jan. 17, the Seattle Pacific University Falcons faced off against Saint Martin’s University at home in a rescheduled match from Jan. 6. 

Falcon junior forward Shaw Anderson began the game as he scored the first two points and quickly put the Falcons on the board. The Saints momentarily stopped the Falcons as they also scored 57 seconds later, tying the game 2-2.  

Anderson, however, could not be stopped as he lit up the court with a barrage of baskets. Anderson was the only Falcon who scored within the first seven minutes. 

He scored a total of seven points before any of his teammates could score a basket of their own. Graduate-student forward Mehdi El Mardi was the first Falcon other than Anderson to score as he attempted a successful layup. He brought the score to 11-9, in favor of the Saints. 

The Falcons battled hard with the Saints for the remainder of the half but fell short. Saint Martin’s would win the first half, 39-31.

SPU began the second half trailing the Saints and could not stop the opposition from scoring an additional two points before they could even score themselves. 

Senior guard Divant’e Moffitt swiftly took control of the game after the Saints scored and began to rally for his team. Moffitt scored nine of the 18 points needed for the Falcons to finally catch up to the Saints, tying the game up at 49-49. 

The rest of the second half was a constant battle for control between SPU and Saint Martin’s, which ultimately ended in a thunderous buzzer-beater victory for the Falcons. With 44 seconds left in the game and the score tied up 65-65, Anderson attempted a last-second 3-pointer from the left corner of the court and watched as it expertly swished into the basket. He was the highest scorer of this game with a total of 19 points. 

Due to Anderson’s game-saving play, the Falcons took the game against the No. 1 ranked team in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, Saint Martin’s, 68-65. 

The Falcons went into their next game of the week on Thursday, Jan. 20, against Western Washington University and rode off of the momentum of their previous game. They beat the Vikings, 78-59. 

The Vikings seized the lead at the beginning of the game as they scored the first four points. SPU would not be far behind. 

The Falcons eagerly took the opportunity to tie the score after graduate student guard Harry Cavell rebounded the ball from a missed jumper from the Vikings. Both Moffitt and Anderson would quickly score two points each, making the game tied at 4-4. 

As soon as the Falcons took the lead, there was no stopping them for the rest of the game. SPU ended the first half of the game with a secure lead of 38-29. 

The Falcons’ momentum did not falter going into the second half. The team kept the lead and never once let the Vikings push ahead. 

The Falcons won the game with a lead of 78-59. Cavell and Anderson were pivotal in the team’s victory as they both scored the most points for the team at 21 each. This was Anderson’s second game in a row where he led the team in scoring. 

Unfortunately for the men’s basketball team, their winning streak came to an end on Saturday, Jan. 22, when they traveled to Simon Fraser University and lost, 75-72. 

The first half of the game looked promising for the Falcons as Cavell scored a three-pointer a minute and 21 seconds into the game, and they ended the half with a score of 32-25, but it was not enough in the end. 

Despite the Falcons’ lead, Simon Fraser snatched the lead back in the second half and kept it for the remainder of the game. SPU did not give up and continued to compete in a heated battle for the win. With five seconds left in the game, the score was 75-72, in favor of Simon Fraser. 

In a last-ditch effort, Moffitt went for a repeat of Anderson’s buzzer-beater on Monday to hopefully tie the game. Unfortunately for Moffitt, the ball rimmed off of the basket and sent the Falcons back home with their eighth loss of the season and fourth in the conference. This game boosted Simon Fraser into the No.1 spot in the GNAC.

The Falcons overall record is now 10-8. They are the No. 6 in the GNAC with a conference record of 3-4. 

SPU’s next game is Thursday, Jan. 27, against the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The Nanooks are No. 10 in the GNAC. 

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: 

After three games got postponed due to COVID-19 related issues on Saturday, Jan. 8, Thursday, Jan. 13 and Saturday, Jan. 15, the women’s basketball team finally got back to competing. Almost all women’s basketball teams in the GNAC are behind by at least two games due to the pandemic. 

On Saturday, Jan. 22, the team played against the University of Montana State Billings. This game was their first in 16 days. It also began their race to catch up to their schedules. 

The Falcons did not benefit from their unexpected and long break as they suffered a hefty 81-55 loss against the Yellowjackets. The game was not in the Falcons’ favor. SPU lacked the momentum to pull ahead of the opponents. The Yellowjackets outplayed the Falcons by only a few points in the second half, 34-29. 

Unfortunately, the Yellowjackets lead would set the course for the game and ultimately lead to their dominant win over the Falcons.

Despite the loss, senior guard Kaprice Boston showed out for her team. She scored nine total points during the game. Natalie Hoff, senior forward, scored one less than her at eight points overall. 

Hoff still holds the second-best record for scoring on the team with 161. She is right behind senior forward and guard Ashley Alter, who has 170 points for this season. 

SPU moved down to No.6 in the GNAC after this matchup, and Montana State Billings moved up to the No.3 position in the rankings. 

The Falcons now have a conference record of 3-2 and an overall record of 7-8. 

Their next game will be at home against the University of Alaska Fairbanks on Thursday, Jan. 27.