This is how to end a losing streak.
After losing four straight games, the Seattle Pacific men’s basketball team defeated Evergreen State College 110-47 and Douglass College 107-57 for their third and fourth season wins.
The Falcons returned to Royal Brougham Pavilion on Wednesday, Dec. 18, to tally up a season-high score against the Evergreen State Geoducks. It was a celebratory night on all fronts with four Falcons reaching new career-highs in scoring.
Junior forward Trace Evans led the Falcons with a career-high 30 points, followed by freshman guard Henry Sandberg’s career-high 14. Redshirt-sophomore forward Logan Kinloch shot a career-high 11 points in his season debut, landing five out of nine shots against Evergreen State.
Redshirt-freshman guard David Zachman scored a career-high seven points, all in the paint. Junior guard Jaxon Nap recorded his second double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Redshirt-junior guard Mason Landdeck led the team in assists with a season-best of eight.
Seattle Pacific gained the advantage over the Geoducks early in the opening minutes, notching an immediate 14-2 lead. Evergreen State grabbed four steals and forced eight turnovers on the Falcons throughout the half but made little progress to close the gap, leaving the score 54-24 at halftime.
The Falcons opened the second half with 17 straight points and crossed the 100-point threshold in the 36th minute with a three-pointer from Kinloch. Evergreen State accepted defeat with the final buzzer.
Seattle Pacific delivered a similar performance against the Douglas Royals on Saturday, Dec. 21.
The Royals lost the first nine points to SPU and the gap continued to grow. With every basket Douglas used to shorten the gap, Seattle Pacific sunk two more to restore the difference with interest. By halftime, the Falcons were leading 59-31.
Seattle Pacific wasted no time in the second half, scoring 15 consecutive points in the first six minutes. Douglas’ defense had the most success this half, keeping SPU off the board for almost three minutes. The Royals, however, only mustered five points before the Falcons lit another fire, leading to another 16 straight points from the 30th to the 34th minute. This final barrage cemented the win for the Falcons.
Nap was the top scorer against the Royals with 22 points. Coupled with his 10 rebounds, Nap recorded his third double-double of the season. Sandberg and Kinloch beat their previous career-highs in scoring with 16 and 11 points against the Royals. Evans also grabbed a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Seattle Pacific returns to Royal Brougham on Thursday, Jan. 2, versus Saint Martin’s University at 7:30 p.m. in Lacey, Washington. The Falcons’ record in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference is 0-1 and their overall record is 4-8. They are tied for eighth in the overall standings.
