SEATTLE, Wash. – A balanced attack by the Falcons of Seattle Pacific (2-1) was too much for Vanguard (3-2), as the Lions fell by a count of 72-53.

This fixture was the exact reverse from last year's matchup in San Diego that saw Vanguard explode to a 90-67 victory. This time around, it was SPU serving as the hosts for the annual GNAC-PacWest Thanksgiving Classic.

The only two Lions to score in double-figures were Erik Howlin (10pts, 5-14 FG) and Bryson Metz (13pts, 5-16 FG), although it was the latter's least-efficient game of the season thus far.

The Blue and Gold only had one assist in the first half, before ending up with five as a team; their fewest since the only had two against PLNU on January 23 last year.

Since their season-opener where they shot 9-18 from downtown, Vanguard has struggled to reclaim their footing in that department. Friday was no different as they were limited to just 3-21 from three-point range, making it four games in a row where they have shot 26% or worse, and twice where they have clipped at 14% or worse.

Seattle Pacific was led by Henry Sandberg with his 15 points, while most of the 14 points from big-man Trace Evans came in the second frame. As a team, Seattle Pacific shot 45.8% from deep on the game.
 
What Happened?
Initially, both offenses showed little signs of having any tryptophan left in their systems from the Thanksgiving turkey, scoring at will in the paint. In fact, all of Vanguard's first 10 points came at the rim. But a Theo McMillan triple, who had not even attempted a three-pointer all season for the Falcons, kickstarted the opposing offense on an inside-out feed from Trace Evans.

Carson Frawley, who was a teammate of McMillan in high-school, hit a triple in retaliation a few possessions later to give VU a 15-11 lead with 11:50 left in the first.

Unfortunately for Vanguard fans, the attack slowed to a crawl henceforth, showing signs of the '-itis' that plagues many post-Thanksgiving meal endeavors.

Brant Heppner subbed-in for the hosts and quickly made an impact, knocking down a triple and assisting on another as part of an extended 15-2 run for the Maroon and White, forcing a VU timeout. The run helped the Falcons to a 26-17 lead with 7:00 remaining in the first frame.

Despite this, the Lions were able to whittle away a tad heading into the half, thanks in large part to Pape Cisse's solid play on the block and offensive glass (8pts, 3OREB).

Trailing 31-25 coming out of the break, Vanguard could not stop Evans down low, as he was part of a quick 7-0 burst to push the lead well into double-figures. The Blue and Gold had a response in them to cut it to seven with 12:20 to go thanks to a pair of Bryson Metz jumpers, but another Heppner triple heading into the under-12 media timeout kept the Lions at arms distance for the rest of the way.
 
Of note: Sammy Howlin made his much-anticipated debut for Vanguard at the 18:26 mark of the second-half to try to slow down Evans. His first bucket came on a tip-in off his brother's miss at 17:01. At 6'11, Howlin is now the tallest player to appear for Vanguard since 2010 (Mitch Boyce).  

Vanguard won the turnover battle and cleaned the offensive glass at a higher clip.
 

What Was Said?: "Credit SPU for playing a great game," said Head Coach Rhett Soliday. "They were tough and together at both ends of the floor and the disparity at the 3-point line was a major factor in their second half run. We are at our best when the ball finds a lot of hands and it goes inside-out. Only having 5 assists won't get it done. We'll be better and our guys will bounce back."


What's Next?: The Lions will try to salvage at least one win on their trip, with a neutral fixture tomorrow at 2:00pm against Central Washington.