SEATTLE (Nov. 22) - Jeff Knudson and Jordan Lee each scored 15 points and hit three three-pointers as Seattle Pacific University gave new head coach Jeff Hironaka a victory in his first outing, 80-70 over Minnesota-Duluth in the first round of the Vitamilk Tip-Off Classic Friday night at Brougham Pavilion.

Yusef Aziz (Sr., 6-4, Seattle, Wa./Foster) added 13 and Adam Harris (Sr., 6-0, Fox Island, Wa./Gig Harbor)12 for the Falcons, who snapped a string of three opening-night home defeats.

Knudson (Fr., 6-7, Mukilteo, Wa./Kamiak), shooting almost exclusively from the perimeter, sank five of seven field goals . The redshirt forward played 27 minutes coming off the bench. Lee (So., 6-2, Tacoma, Wa./Life Christian) scored 13 of his points in the second half, going 5-6 from the field. Together, Knudson and Lee were 6-8 on treys.

Minnesota-Duluth shot 52 percent from the field but was only 5-10 at the foul line and was out-rebounded 30-26. Jason Schneeweis and Sean Seaman each had 16 points.

Seattle Pacific was 10-18 on three-pointers and 18-23 at the line. Behind Knudson, Lee and Chris Cohen (Jr., 6-8, St. Helens, Or.), who had nine points, the bench out-scored the UMD reserves 39-18

The Falcons forged ahead thanks to aggressive play on the boards and hot shooting from the outside. Consecutive three-pointes by Knudson, Adam Harris and Knudson again, combined with an Aziz slam, built a 16-point lead with 7:26 left in the opening period.

Tony Binetti (Fr., 6-1, Enumclaw, Wa.), inserted into the starting lineup in his collegiate debut, connected on a pair of treys in the opening five minutes when SPU burst in front, 14-5. Maurice Cato, the projected starter at point guard, missed the game along with forward Daniel Sandrin. Both were suspended one game for breaching team rules.

Behind the six rebounds of Cohen, SPU owned a 17-8 advantage on the boards at the break. Cohen finished with a game-high eight boards, four on the offensive end, in just 15 minutes. Seattle Pacific plays Central Washington in the tournament's final game, Saturday at 7. The Bulldogs meet Northwest Nazarene at 5.

MINNESOTA-DULUTH-Cheney 11, Denny 3, Schneeweis 16, Jackson 6, Seaman 16, Decker 9, Williams 5, Boman 0, Determan 4.

SEATTLE PACIFIC-Aziz 13, Keely 6, Chivers 2, Harris 12, Bnetti 8, Lee 15, Bushmaker 0, Knudson 15, Woodard 0, Cohen 9.

Halftime-SPU 44, UMD 28.