Box Score



NAMPA, Idaho — Down by double digits, in foul trouble, the Crusaders needed help from a hero Saturday night.

In stepped the "Amazing Spiderman!"

True freshman Olamilekan "Spider" Adetunji came off the bench with 10 minutes left to play and scored six points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked two shots.

But more importantly, his effort ignited the Northwest Nazarene men's basketball team, which rallied from 11 points down to top visiting Seattle Pacific, 85-80, in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action on "Church Night" at the Johnson Sports Center.
 

"We don't win that game tonight without him," NNU head coach Scott Flemming said of Adetunji, who played in just three games prior to Saturday night.

After a trip up and down the court, "Spiderman" took over with a bucket down low then an emphatic swat of an Olivier-Pail Betu shot for SPU on the other end of the floor to ignite the Crusader comeback.

Down 76-65 with 8 ½ minutes to play, Adetunji's energy sparked a 14-0 run for NNU, a charge fittingly capped by "Spiderman" sailing through the air and slamming home a fast-break jam off a Jayden Bezzant dish.

"I basically put him in because Kaileb (Rodriguez) had four fouls and we still had a lot of time left," Flemming said. "Our plan was to put Spider in for a few minutes and give him time 'till we could put Kaileb in, then he just went off and dominated the game.

"And Kaileb was great about it, he was just cheering for Spider the whole time."

So were nearly 1,000 fans inside the Johnson Sports Center, who also cheered on the rest of the Crusaders who rode the momentum provided by Adetunji.
 

Two free throws by the Falcons' Tony Miller briefly stalled the NNU charge, but a Maurice Jones putback made sure the Crusaders stayed on top, up 81-78 with 2 minutes left.

A Bezzant bucket gave NNU some breathing room before Betu tossed in a bucket for SPU, which had the ball with 13 seconds left, looking to tie down 83-80.

A stifling Crusader defense forced a wild 3-point shot by Tony Miller, with Bouna N'Diaye grabbing the rebound and drawing a foul to ice the victory.

A huge win for NNU, which beat the Falcons for the first time since February 2011, a comeback win sparked by "Spiderman," but made possible by a stunning team defensive effort as the Crusaders went on a 20-5 run over the final 8 ½ minutes, holding SPU to two free throws and one field goal.

"It wasn't always a pretty game," NNU's coach said, adding, "I thought we really showed some heart, some guts in those last 10 minutes to pull it out."

While Adetunji provided the spark, N'Diaye led the way with 18 points, Jones added 16 points and 14 boards for his fifth straight double-double, Rodriguez scored 16 points before cheering on "Spiderman," and Nikola Prvulj scored 11 for NNU, which next plays at GNAC-leading and 20th-ranked Western Washington on Thursday.