SEATTLE (Dec. 28) -- Yusef Aziz scored 18 points and collected eight rebounds as 12th-ranked Seattle Pacific University downed Texas A&M Commerce 78-62 for its ninth consecutive victory in the first round of the Oak Harbor Freight Lines Holiday Classic Friday night at Brougham Pavilion.

The Falcons (9-1), returning home after playing the past four on the road, have now won 21 straight December games dating back to 1998. The Lions were the 10th straight opponent held under 70 points.

Daniel Sandrin (Jr., 6-7, Bothell, Wa./Bothell) came off the bench for 16 points as the SPU non-starters outscored the visitors' bench 57-11. Aziz (Jr., 6-4, Seattle, Wa./Foster-Highline CC), who did not start due to a sore ankle, hit 6-10 field goals and also made three steals.

TAMC (4-8) was led by Tyrone Palmer's 26 points, 12 coming off 3-pointers. Ross Hodge had 11 assists and nine points.

Seattle Pacific never trailed and seized control with 12 unanswered points to take a 20-7 lead after nine minutes. The bulge grew to 20 points just before halftime. TAMC got no closer than eight points in the second period.

Maurice Cato (Jr., 6-0, Fairfield, Ca.), who scored 11 first-half points, sparked the early run with a 3-pointer from the top of the key and a layup off the fast break.

Aziz and Sandrin helped quell a Texas rally midway through the second half. After the lead was trimmed to 47-39, Aziz scored seven of his team's next 10 points to push the lead back to 15. Sandrin's 3-pointer accounted for the rest of the points.

The Lions, playing without No. 2 scorer Brynell Jones, lost for the fifth time in six games. They were out-rebounded 40-29, including a 17-8 edge on the offensive boards.

SPU faces Lewis-Clark State Saturday at 7 in the final game of the tournament. Texas A&M Commerce plays Seattle U. at 5.

TEXAS A&M COMMERCE -- Rager 4, Fuller 2, Palmer 26, Hodge 9, Koubek 10, Brown 1, Covington 0, Wynn 8, Abdelrazzaq 2.

SEATTLE PACIFIC -- Harris 5, Stone 4, Johnson 7, Woodard 2, e. Sandrin 3, Lee 6, Cato 12, Bellessa 2, Aziz 18, Keely 1, Sundberg 0, D. Sandrin 16, Cohen 2.

Halftime -- SPU 42, TAMC 25.