What’s new?
It was a day to celebrate and a day to reflect.
Seattle Pacific University’s men’s basketball team hit a roadblock in its season when it lost 68-66 to the conference-leading Central Washington University Wildcats on Saturday, Feb. 15.
The Falcons previously scored two wins on the road against the Simon Fraser University Red Leafs 86-78 on Thursday, Feb. 6, and 64-63 against the Western Washington University Vikings on Saturday, Feb. 8. Seattle Pacific returned to Royal Brougham Pavilion on Thursday, Feb. 13, to defeat the Northwest Nazarene University Nighthawks 72-62.
Seattle Pacific entered and exited Saturday’s game in second place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. The Wildcats took an early lead, but the Falcons stole it back late in the half with 5:22 remaining. Central Washington ended the half with five straight baskets, regaining the lead 32-30.
The Falcons regained the lead 87 seconds into the second half on a three-pointer by Jaxon Nap. Seattle Pacific held the lead for the next 13 minutes. Central Washington forced a tie with 4:13 remaining before taking and holding the lead in the final minutes.
Coach’s thoughts:
Saturday’s game was a matchup between the top two in the conference. Head coach Keffrey Fazio was proud the team played a great game, regardless of the outcome.
“Central was in first place, and we were in second place,” Fazio said. “I thought that our guys really played hard and I know they really wanted to win. There’s a handful of plays you can look back on and say we wish we were better, but that’s just how it works. At the end of the day, Central was able to make a few more plays than we were, and that was the outcome.”
Top scorers:
Against the Simon Fraser Red Leafs — redshirt-junior guard Mason Landdeck scored a career-high 31 points
Against the Western Washington Vikings — junior guard Jaxon Nap, 22 points
Against the Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks — Landdeck, 20 points
Against the Central Washington Wildcats — Nap, 18 points
All eyes on:
The Falcons celebrated three graduating seniors: Trace Evans, Brian Caldera and Jacob Gray.
“It was nice to honor them and have some of their family be at the game,” Fazio said. “Senior day is a tribute to the work and the sacrifice that they have given to not only our program but our university and our community, so it’s always a nice moment.”
Evans is wrapping up his third year with the Falcons after transferring from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 2022. In his time with SPU, he has accrued 775 points, 137 assists and 409 rebounds.
Gray walked onto the team in his sophomore year at SPU. He has played in nine games, scored 10 points and picked up two rebounds. Gray has seen limited playing time with the Falcons due to health issues but remained an invaluable team member.
Caldera transferred to SPU in 2023 and was immediately redshirted due to injury. He has recently recovered and is easing back into play.
“Each of those guys has impacted our program in unique ways that represent the type of young men that they are and the type of men they’re going to be,” Fazio said. “The impact really is the relationships they get to have, and those will remain for the rest of their lives. One of the things I’m most proud of as the leader of the program is the genuine relationships that we create here.”
Upcoming:
The Falcons are 14-12 overall and 10-5 in the GNAC. Seattle Pacific heads back on the road to challenge the University of Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks on Thursday, Feb. 20, at 8:30 p.m. in Fairbanks, Alaska, and the University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves on Saturday, Feb. 22, at 8:30 p.m. in Anchorage, Alaska.
Seattle Pacific won 56-54 in its last encounter with Fairbanks on Jan. 25. The Nanooks are 6-8 in the GNAC and 11-13 overall. Fairbanks previously survived by range, shooting 7.8% better than SPU at the three-point line. The Falcons shot better in the paint and won the battle on rebounds and turnovers.
The Falcons defeated Anchorage 64-60 last time on Jan. 23. The Seawolves are 4-10 in the GNAC and 11-16 overall. Seattle Pacific dominated at the three-point and free-throw line on Jan. 23, avoiding too much trouble with Anchorage’s defenders. Anchorage was identical to SPU in the paint.
“We don’t care if we win by one basket or 10 baskets. We just want to win. Anytime you’re on the road in this conference, it’s challenging, so we will have to prepare and hunker in, because you can lose to anybody at any time. We’ll prepare as we do, try to get our guys in the best mindset, try to execute a game plan and hopefully come out on top.”
