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Sodexo GNAC/PacWest Challenge
Brougham Pavilion • Seattle, Wash.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18 --
Central Washington vs. (#3) BYU-Hawaii, 3:00 p.m. PST
Hawaii Pacific vs. (#22) Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m. PST

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19 --
Central Washington vs. Hawaii Pacific, 3:00 p.m. PST
(#3) BYU-Hawaii vs. (#22) Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m. PST

•Webcast for all games: www.PennAtlantic.com
•LiveStats for all games:  www.sidearmstats.com/spu/mbball/index.htm

This weekend marks the basketball home openers for the 22nd-ranked Seattle Pacific men, who have had a hectic road schedule. The Falcons (2-0) host the four-team Sodexo GNAC/PacWest Challenge at Brougham Pavilion on Friday, Nov. 18 and Saturday, Nov. 19. Men's basketball doubleheaders take place both days with the SPU men playing the 7 p.m. nightcap, against Hawaii Pacific (0-1) on Friday and No. 3 BYU-Hawaii (0-1) on Saturday. Central Washington (0-0) plays the 3 p.m. opener both days against those same two opponents in reverse order of the Falcons. The SPU women's team is hosting a tournament the same two days with games at 1:00 and 5:00 p.m. This is the second of four tournaments for the Falcons men, the only one in Seattle. They take part in the GCU Thanksgiving Classic on Nov. 25-26, meeting host Grand Canyon and Academy of Art.

Finally Home
The well-traveled SPU men are glad to be home at Brougham for the first time this weekend. They traveled to the Bahamas for a three-game trip in September. The Falcons played two road exhibitions against NCAA Division I opponents, winning at Arizona and losing at Washington. Last weekend SPU opened the regular season with two wins to capture the Dixie State Classic championship in St. George, Utah.



Sponsored by Sodexo
Seattle Pacific is grateful to Sodexo for annually sponsoring this tournament. Sodexo USA (www.sodexoUSA.com) is the leading provider of food and facilities management in the United States. The Sodexo Foundation (www.helpstophunger.org) is an independent charitable organization that is leading the fight against hunger by supporting initiatives that focus on eliminating the root causes of hunger in the U.S.

Giant Killers
Seattle Pacific is an NCAA Division II competitor that won three of its last four games against Division I opponents, all of them road exhibitions. The Falcons, who were 69-68 victors at Arizona on Oct. 27, defeated Eastern Washington (87-82) and Nevada (84-81) on the road in last season's exhibition contests. SPU lost 77-60 at Washington on Nov. 4. This year's two encounters increase to 18 the number of Division I foes the Falcons have faced during the last eight seasons.

Ticket Talk
Season tickets for SPU men's basketball games are still available and are a tremendous value, assuring a seat in the best location for every home game. Call 206-281-2085 for ticket information. Individual game tickets can be purchased at Brougham Pavilion (3414 Third Ave. W., Seattle 98119) on game day. Ticket windows open one hour before tip-off. Reserved seats are $8 for center court locations and $7 for other sideline areas. General admission tickets are priced at $6 for adults and $3 for students and senior citizens. Groups or teams of 10 or more may qualify for special GA rates by calling (206) 281-2085 at least 72 hours in advance. SPU students and staff are admitted free with i.d.

Recent Recap
David Downs scored 24 of his 26 career-high points in the second half (Nov. 12) as SPU rallied from a 25-18 halftime deficit to defeat Colorado Mesa 67-55 in the championship game of the Dixie State Classic. The Falcons beat host Dixie 58-42 (Nov. 11) behind the Jobi Wall's 10 points. Wall scored 24 points, including the go-ahead basket on a layup with 2:20 left in SPU's 69-68 upset at No. 16 Arizona (Oct. 27). The Falcons led 37-29 at halftime. The Wildcats staged an 18-6 run and led by two before SPU scored six straight to take the lead for good. Nick Johnson's potential game-winning trey missed at the buzzer. On Nov. 4, C.J. Wilcox led four double-figure scorers for Washington with 19 in a 77-60 win over SPU. Andy Poling's 12 points and seven rebounds led the Falcons, who made just 10 of 23 free throws against the Huskies.

Scouting Hawaii Pacific (0-1)
> The Sea Warriors lost 62-56 at Hawaii-Manoa in last Friday's season opener.

> HPU posted a 12-16 record in 2011 and its top returnee is second-leading scorer LaBrent Chappell who averaged 9.8 points per game.

> The Sea Warriors roster is bolstered by the addition of two Division I transfers, Marko Cucik from Nevada-Reno and Fran Urli from Albany.

> The Falcons won the last five meetings to take a 5-2 series lead over HPU. The most recent encounter resulted in a 69-54 SPU win on Dec. 3, 2005 in Seattle.

> Third-year SPU coach Ryan Looney has never coached against the Sea Warriors.

Scouting BYU-Hawaii (0-1)
> The third-ranked Seasiders were national runners-up last season with a 22-9 record. They lost 71-68 to Bellarmine (Ky.) in the NCAA Division II championship game.

> BYU-Hawaii lost 73-52 at Brigham Young in Utah on Tuesday in its season opener.

> The Pac West Conference Seasiders feature guard Tsung-Hsien “Jet” Chang, The Sporting News preseason Player of the Year pick. He averaged 21.2 points last season and scored 35 in the national championship game.

> The Falcons won the first seven meetings in the series before losing 76-72 to BYUH in the first round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament. SPU beat the Seasiders 78-72 on Dec. 5, 2009 in Seattle during the most recent regular-season meeting.

> In his third season at SPU, Coach Ryan Looney has a 1-1 record vs. the Seasiders.

Notable
Junior Andy Poling is a Sporting News honorable mention preseason All-American ... In their second season at SPU, Division I transfers Andy Poling (6-11, Gonzaga) and Modou Niang (6-10, Utah State) are the tallest tandem in SPU history ... The Falcons biggest departure was guard Chris Banchero, a senior in 2011 who averaged 22.4 points and 5.6 assists. He was the 2010 West Region Player of the Year.

2012 Preview
Third-year coach Ryan Looney returns three starters from last year's 20-10 squad that made its seventh straight playoff appearance. Heading the list of returnees is 6-foot-11 junior post Andy Poling, a Sporting News honorable mention All-American. The Gonzaga transfer averaged 14.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in his first year as a Falcon. Also returning is 2010 GNAC Freshman of the Year David Downs. He assumed the starting point guard duties midway through the season, after an injury sidelined All-American Chris Banchero, and averaged 6.9 points and 4.3 assists per game. The impressive list of newcomers features Jobi Wall, a 6-6 transfer who averaged 16.6 points and 7.7 rebounds in 2010 at Colorado Christian. Freshman Riley Stockton is the nephew of Hall of Famer John Stockton, the NBA's all-time assist leader. The SPU men were ranked No. 22 nationally among NCAA Division II teams in preseason coaches poll.

Looney's Ledger
Ryan Looney begins his third season after directing Seattle Pacific to postseason berths in each of his first two campaigns. His SPU record is 44-16 (.733). The Falcons were 20-10 last year and upset fifth-ranked Central Washington in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Looney led SPU to a 22-6 record in 2010 and became the first coach to direct the Falcons to a league title in his inaugural season. He was voted the 2010 GNAC Coach of the Year. Looney, who led alma mater Eastern Oregon University to the quarterfinals of the 2009 NAIA Division II Tournament, was hired May 26, 2009 as the coach at SPU. He won his opening nine games on the SPU sidelines, the first coach to win more than his first three for the Falcons. Looney, 36, has a 139-71 (.662) career record, including a 95-55 record in five seasons with Eastern Oregon. He directed EOU to back-to-back NAIA Tournament appearances in 2008 and 2009.

Terrific Transfer
The Falcons frontline is bolstered by the addition of transfer Jobi Wall, a 6-foot-6 junior who led all scorers with 24 points in the win at Arizona (Oct. 27). He averaged 16.6 points and 7.7 rebounds and shot 44 percent on 3-pointers in 2010 at Colorado Christian. Wall used an injury red-shirt season last year at CCU. SPU got a first-hand look at Wall on Dec. 30, 2009 at Brougham Pavilion. He amassed 28 points and 13 rebounds, hitting 5 of 9 treys in a 73-69 Colorado Christian win over the Falcons. As a prep pitcher at Faith Christian High School, Wall tossed a perfect game and hit for the cycle in a five-inning contest during the 2008 Colorado state Class 3A playoffs.

Tropical Tour
The Seattle Pacific men got an early jump on the basketball season with a six-day trip to Nassau, Bahamas from Sept. 10-16. The Falcons swept three professional teams from the New Providence Basketball Association (NPBA). They won 96-63 over the two-time defending league champion Commonwealth Giants, defeated the league runner-up Real Deal Shockers 75-52 and beat the Mailboat Cybots 93-51. Andy Poling averaged a double-double on the trip, with 19.3 points and 11.3 rebounds.

Seven-Year Surge
The Falcons posted a 146-59 record over the previous seven seasons, 12 more victories than any Great Northwest Athletic Conference team during that span. SPU compiled a 20-9 record in 2005, 26-6 in 2006, 18-10 in 2007, 21-8 in 2008, 19-10 in 2009, 22-6 in 2010 and 20-10 last season. The 146 combined wins are the second-highest seven-year total in school history, topped only by a 154-win run from 1996 to 2002. The Falcons competed in seven straight NCAA Division II Tournaments (2005-10), advancing to the national semifinals in 2006.

2011 Review
Seattle Pacific compiled a 20-10 record in 2011 en route to its seventh straight NCAA Division II Tournament berth. The Falcons placed third in the GNAC (12-6) and were the league's last team standing in the 2011 playoffs after upsetting fifth-ranked Central Washington 76-63 during a first-round game in Ellensburg. The Falcons will look to replace two starters, leading 3-point shooter Jeff Downs (95 treys) and top rebounder Ryan Sweet (7.2 rpg). Also departed is Chris Banchero, the 2010 West Region Player of the Year who missed the final 19 games last season due to a knee injury. He amassed 22.4 points and 5.6 assists per game before being sidelined.