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Echols on fire from the arc
Offense plays big roles in win
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By
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Anna Secreto
, Sports Writer
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Published: 2-6-2008
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In weather touching minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit, senior Marques
Echols was nearly record-setting hot. The SPU senior totaled 27
points, each one a product of his nine-for-11 performance from the
three point line, to lead the men's basketball team to a split in
their annual trek to frostbitten Alaska. Behind Echols, the Falcons
defeated University of Alaska, Fairbanks (UAF) 96-65 after falling
Thursday to No. 5 University of Alaska, Anchorage (UAA) 83-71.
Echols bookended the first half with three-pointers, and shot 8-9
behind the arc before intermission to help SPU race to a 25-point
lead. "It was really about my teammates," Echols said of his
performance. "My teammates did a great job getting me open, setting
screens and getting me the ball. After that, the easy part was just
shooting it." Echols came within one shot of matching the Great
Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) record for three-pointers in a
game. SPU's shooting percentage was more than double that of UAF,
and the Falcons finished 14-20 from the three-point range. Senior
JoJay Jackson had 21 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists in only
23 minutes. "If you're making shots, it's going to be tough to beat
any team," Echols said about the squad's shooting performance. "It
just spread. It's kind of, like, spreading like wildfire." The
Nanooks beat NCAA Division I opponent Oregon State University in
the preseason, but now sit in second-to-last place in the GNAC with
a 1-8 record. Junior Colin Matteson led UAF with 21 points and
seven rebounds. SPU improved to 14-4 overall and 6-3 in the GNAC.
"It was a dangerous game that we needed to win, even though their
record wasn't good," sophomore Rob Diedrichs said, adding that
postseason chances would have been bleak with a loss. On Thursday,
UAA won their 15th consecutive game against the Falcons behind big
games from their senior stars. Carl Arts scored a career-high 29
points with 13 rebounds, McCade Olsen added 25 points and 11
rebounds and the Seawolves improved to 17-3 overall and 8-0 in the
conference. UAA point guard Luke Cooper, the nation's leader in
assists, finished with 12 points and 11 assists. "They have good
team chemistry, very, very good team chemistry," Echols said of
SPU's veteran opponent. In a tight first half, Arts scored a
put-back to make it a 35-33 UAA lead heading into the locker room.
Third-leading scorer Diedrichs sprained his ankle midway through
and did not return. After drawing within a point at the start of
the second half, the Falcons allowed UAA to take control with a
13-0 run, stretching the lead to 50-36. Echols realized it wasn't
going to be the Falcons' day when Olsen drove baseline and had his
shot blocked by Jackson, only to see the ball bounce off his
shoulder and in the hoop. "The baskets went their way. The calls
went their way. That's just to tell you what kind of day it was,"
Echols said about the play. SPU cut the Seawolves' lead to six with
a 10-2 run, but UAA pulled away in the final 10 minutes to seal the
home victory. "I don't think we came away from that game really
feeling like Anchorage was better than us, but they outplayed us
that particular night," Diedrichs said. Echols made four out of six
shots but finished with only nine points. Junior Casey Reed led the
Falcons with 15 points off the bench and sophomore Brandon Larrieu
scored 11 while playing extended minutes after Diedrichs came out
injured. Diedrichs experienced bruising and swelling in his ankle,
and it is questionable whether he will play next weekend's games
with the injury. Despite the injury and the loss, the Falcons left
Alaska feeling alright about their split. "It's cold, it's dark,
you're playing very good teams and it's more travel than you're
used to during conference play," senior Jared Moultrie said about
the Alaskan road trip. "You're going from Anchorage to Fairbanks
Friday. You're not expecting calls to go your way. It's a tough
place to go to get a weekend sweep." SPU returns to action Thursday
against GNAC newcomer Montana State University, Billings (MSUB) at
Royal Brougham Pavilion. The Falcons topped MSUB 62-56 on Jan. 12.
On Saturday, Seattle University visits SPU in what could be the
Falcons' final matchup with their cross-town rivals for some time.
The Redhawks become an NCAA Division I school next year. SU and the
Falcons shared the conference championship last season, and SPU won
the teams' first matchup 56-52. Both games start at 7 p.m.
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Women's Soccer - Aug. 27
Humboldt State
Win: 4-1
Press Release
Volleyball - Aug. 25
at Coyote Classic - San Bernardino, Ca. vs.Fort Lewis
Win: 3-1
Press Release
Men's Soccer - Aug. 25
at Cal State Stanislaus - Turlock, Ca
Loss: 0-0
Press Release
Volleyball - Aug. 24
at Coyote Classic - San Bernardino, Ca. vs. UC San Diego
Win: 3-2
Press Release
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