SEATTLE, WASH. - On Tuesday, November 21st, the Sonoma State men's basketball team traveled to the pacific northwest to take on GNAC member Seattle Pacific in the team's final non-conference game before starting CCAA play on November 30th.
FIRST HALF SSU 38-37 SPU
The Seawolves got out to a fast start, scoring from all over the court with some three balls and dominant play inside from
Dillon Iyawe. Second year forward
Julian Bryant also got off to a great start, scoring seven of the team's first ten points scoring inside and out.
SSU would lead by as many as 11 in the first half but Seattle Pacific would settle in with their big man and get some easy two's to climb back into the game. Both teams would trade buckets in the final minutes of the first half but the Falcons would finish on a 14-9 run in the final six minutes to cut the deficit to just one.
With a high scoring first half, both teams would post nearly identical numbers, the Seawolves finishing 48% from the field and the Falcons 51%. Sonoma State did shoot over 60% from beyond the arc compared to just 28% for Seattle Pacific, but the Falcons would score ten more points in the paint to claw their way back into the game despite not leading once in the half.
FINAL SSU 78-82 SPU
After a 5-0 run to start the second half and extend the lead to five, Seattle Pacific would catch fire from the field and go on a 9-0 run to grab their first lead of the game. A pair of SSU turnovers would aid the scoring run and force a quick timeout from head coach
Rich Shayewitz. The Falcons would grow their lead to as many as eight but when the Seawolves needed a bucket they would find one to keep within striking distance as the game got under the ten minute mark.
After a three pointer to go up by eight, SSU would bounce back with seven unanswered including a huge corner three from San Francisco City College transfer
Matt Williams III. Williams would impact the game once again with a thunderous slam in transition plus the foul, to give Sonoma State a five point lead with four minutes to go.
The Falcons would hit the shot of the game though with two minutes remaining, capitalizing off of an SSU turnover and hitting a transition three to take a one point lead and force another timeout from Shayewitz.
Missed free throws would plague the Seawolves down the stretch as they went just 1-4 from the line and missed the front end on a pair of one-and-one's. SSU would make it a one point game with a made basket from Bryant with a minute and a half remaining, but Seattle Pacific would draw fouls and go 5-6 from the line to seal the game with a series of empty possessions from the Seawolves.
Sonoma State put together one of their better shooting nights of the season, finishing 48% from the field and converting a season high eight three balls. The Seawolves won the turnover battle and matched the Falcons in made field goals on the night but SPU would outscore them 50-42 in the paint and convert five more free throws to squeak out the win.
LMU transfer
James Nobles was stellar on both ends of the floor, finishing with a season high 20 points and connecting on a trio of three pointers.
Dillon Iyawe shot 70% from the field and finished with his third straight game in double figures. Iyawe also added 9 rebounds and 3 blocks on the night.
Julian Bryant,
Cameron Barry and
Nick Medeiros also finished the night in double figures.
LOOKING AHEAD
Sonoma State falls to 3-2 overall and will return home after the holiday break to take on Cal State Dominguez Hills in their conference opener on Thursday, November 30th. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 PM. Tickets can be bought online at sonomaseawolves.com/tickets and you can stream the game LIVE on the CCAA Network.
Be sure to follow your Seawolves on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to get all the latest SSU athletics updates and information. Sonoma State athletics also has launched a new fan app in partnership with From Now On. Download the free app today in both the Apple and Google Play stores by searching Sonoma State Seawolves in the app store. @SonomaSeawolves | #NomaNation
