Photo above features First-year Divant’e Moffitt, point guard for the Falcons, brings the ball to the opposite side of the court. (Jacky Chen / The Falcon)
Seattle Pacific University won games against both Western Oregon University and Concordia University of Portland to secure sole possession of third place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference this past week.
Entering the game against WOU, SPU looked to turn the tides against the Wolves since the Wolves have defeated the Falcons in their last ten matchups against one another. The home gym for the Falcons, Royal Brougham Pavilion, was packed for two teams who shared a tie in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC).
The Falcons started off the game on the right foot in order to win the game. In the first half, SPU outscored WOU 37-28, shooting 53 percent from the field and 44 percent from 3-point range. Seattle Pacific University showed promising signs by being able to share the ball efficiently, and it showed, with SPU having seven assists in the first half compared to WOU’s three assists.
The Falcons felt confident with the lead that they had, but knew the game was far from over. WOU would not go down easily, and played a much better second-half due to the number of rebounds that they were able to get. The Wolves had 21 rebounds but failed to convert those due to their poor shooting percentages.
SPU would go on to win the game 66-57.
SPU’s Nathan Streufert had a double-double with 10 rebounds and 11 points. When Streufert was asked how the win felt, he said, “It was a good win for us. To put ourselves in sole possession of third place and get a win against a team we hadn’t beaten in four years was huge. That was our fifth win in a row and was good for building momentum as the regular season comes to an end and we get ready for the playoffs in a few weeks.”
SPU’s head coach Grant Leep stated after the game that, “We took care of the ball, and we were able to execute enough offense.” When asked how it felt to beat WOU for the first time in the last ten matchups, Leep expressed how much the team has grown over the past few years and that the team is confident no matter who they play.
Coming into the weekend, the Falcons looked to keep their current five game win streak intact against Concordia University of Portland, who entered the game 4-11 in league play and 9-14 overall.
Leep said that his team executed very well on the offense last time that they had faced Concordia. He also went on to say that, “We did not finish the game off well, allowed them to make some 3s and get back into it” referring to the last matchup against the Cavaliers.
SPU was able to put up a huge gap between them ending the first half with a score of 48-19. Both Coleman Wooten and Nikhil Lizotte put up a combined 25 points for the Falcons in the first half. Seattle Pacific University shot an astounding 61 percent from the field and 57 percent from 3-point range.
SPU was able to keep some pressure on the Cavs in the second half, pulling off the 78-50 win. SPU’s Wooten, Lizotte, Gavin Long, and Divant’e Moffitt had double digit points for the Falcons.
The Falcons play next Tuesday, Feb. 19 at home against Saint Martin’s University, who hold the top spot in the GNAC with a 14-2 record in league play.
