Aziz, Cato Shoot 20-20 to Send Falcons Men Past Redhawks
January 30, 2003

SEATTLE (Jan. 30) - Maurice Cato and Yusef Aziz each scored 20 points as Seattle Pacific University pulled away in the final minutes for an 80-66 win over Seattle University in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference game at Brougham Pavilion Thursday night.

In avenging an earlier non-conference loss to the Redhawks (5-3, 12-5), the Falcons (6-2, 10-7) won for the fourth time in five games and remained second in the GNAC standings behind Humboldt State.

Seattle Pacific took the lead for good late in the first half, nursed it for the next 20 minutes and then drew away with a 11-4 charge to the wire. Aziz (Sr., 6-4, Seattle, Wa./Foster) and Cato (Sr., 6-0, Fairfield, Ca.) combined for nine of those points.

Jelani Williams paced Seattle U. with 15 points off the bench while Darnell Lyons, a high school and junior college teammates of Aziz, finished with 13.

SPU has won 13 of the last 14 meetings with their crosstown rivals and is now 10-0 when leading at halftime.

The Redhawks had remained in contention, trailing by only seven with 3:49 left. But Aziz quickly countered with a three-point play as Seattle Pacific broke the press, and Gene Woodard took an Aziz feed for a layup on the next possession for a 74-62 lead.

Cato's total was a season-high and he connected on 4-5 three-pointers. He also added seven assists. Aziz made four steals and snared seven rebounds. Jason Chivers (So., 6-8, Palmdale, Ca.) finished with 11 points and a game-high nine boards.

SPU committed only 10 turnovers and scored 17 points off the Redhawks' 16. Both teams shot 50 percent from the field but Seattle U. made only 15-25 free throws to the Falcons' 14-17.

The Falcons began to assert themselves toward the end of the opening half, with Aziz and Chivers each scoring a pair of baskets in a 10-2 run. A 15-footer by Aziz made it 34-26. Cato fueled the SPU offense early and had 13 points on 4-5 shooting by the break.

Seattle Pacific hosts Northwest Nazarene Saturday at 3:30 in the annual homecoming game.

SEATTLE UNIV.-McDaniel 4, Lyons 13, Lano 9, Bloom 9, Lincoln 8, Robinson 0, Brooks 0, Williams 13, Peterson 3, Cox 0, Rowe 5.

SEATTLE PACIFIC-Aziz 20, Sandrin 6, Chivers 11, Cato 20, Harris 0, Lee 2, Binetti 0, Keely 8, Woodard 9, Cohen 4.

Halfitme-SPU 38, SU 31.