SEATTLE - Northwest Nazarene led by seven after three quarters, but Seattle Pacific came back in the final period to defeat NNU 66-61 on Friday night.

Trailing by one at halftime, the Nighthawks opened the third quarter with six-straight points to take a 39-34 lead. Clare Eubanks extended the advantage to seven with an old-fashioned three-point play with 1:11 on the clock, and NNU entered the final frame with a 50-43 lead.

SPU (7-4) came back to take the lead at the 5:34 mark, though, and would outscore NNU (3-5) 23-11 in the fourth quarter to pull away for the victory. 

NNU won the rebounding battle 36-32 and outpaced SPU 38-20 in the paint, but the Nighthawks committed 22 turnovers in the game that led to the Falcons holding a 24-10 advantage in points off those giveaways.

NNU did convert 14 of 15 from the charity stripe, but a 3-17 (17.6%) mark from deep did not do the Nighthawks any favors. Meanwhile, the Falcons hit 10 of their 24 attempts from beyond the arc (41.7%). 

"We have to value the basketball, we had way too many turnovers," said NNU head coach Steve Steele. "We shot well from the free throw line, but poorly from three, and that along with some mental lapses in the fourth quarter were the differences in the game."

Four Nighthawks were in double figures, led by 17 points and four boards from Erin Jenkins. Teagan Thurman tallied 15 points and four rebounds, while Haley Hanson and Nyalam Thabach both finished with 10 points. Eubanks was the only other Nighthawk to score, registering nine points. Thabach and Eubanks both pulled down eight boards to lead NNU. 

"We also have to learn how to make adjustments and learn from our mistakes within the game," added Steele. "Glad we get to come back tomorrow and try to be a little better."

The Nighthawks will get a second chance against the Falcons on Saturday, with the opening tip set for 2:00 PM Pacific.