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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1 --
Simon Fraser at (#19) Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m. PST
Brougham Pavilion/Seattle, Wash.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3 --
Western Washington at (#19) Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m. PST
Brougham Pavilion/Seattle, Wash.

• Webcast for both games: www.PennAtlantic.com
• LiveStats: www.sidearmstats.com/spu/mbball

The 19th-ranked Seattle Pacific men's basketball team (5-1) begins pursuit of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship when league play begins this week. The Falcons host a pair of GNAC opponents, beginning on Thursday, Dec. 1 against Simon Fraser (4-2). Tip-off is 7 p.m. at Brougham Pavilion on the SPU campus where the Falcons host Western Washington (7-1) on Saturday, Dec. 3, also at 7 p.m. SPU won all six meetings vs. the Clan and was victorious in 12 of the last 13 encounters with WWU.

GNAC Race
The Falcons are seeking to win the GNAC championship for the fourth time in seven years. They captured the 2010 and 2006 league titles outright and shared the 2007 crown with Seattle University. SPU was projected to finish second in this year's GNAC standings by the annual coaches poll, receiving four of 10 first-place votes en route to a 94-point total. Alaska Anchorage also got four first-place votes and was picked first by one point over the Falcons. Western Washington was selected third, garnering the two remaining first-place votes, and defending champion Central Washington was fourth. SPU is aiming for its fifth GNAC title since the league was formed in 2001-02.

Ticket Talk
Tickets to SPU basketball games can be purchased at Brougham Pavilion (3414 Third Ave. W., Seattle 98119) on game day. 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 & senior citizens. Groups or teams of 10 or more may qualify for special GA rates by calling (206) 281-2085 in advance.



Recent Recap
The Falcons split a pair of games last weekend in Phoenix at the GCU Thanksgiving Classic. SPU suffered its first setback of the season by a 67-58 score against host Grand Canyon (Nov. 25) despite 16 points from Jobi Wall. The Falcons rebounded the next day.  Andy Poling's 18 points led the offense and the defense surrendered its fewest points in 61 years en route to a 63-33 triumph over Academy of Art (Nov. 26). The 33-point output by San Francisco-based AAU was the lowest total allowed by SPU since 1951 when Saint Martin's was held to 31.

Notable
Junior wing Jobi Wall leads the GNAC with 4.5 assists per game. He has five, five-assist games to his credit ... SPU has yet to play a close game, posting an average margin of 15.4 points in its five victories and a nine-point loss ...  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.

Next Week
The Falcons play a pair of games in the state of Hawaii, visiting Chaminade on Dec. 9 before a rematch with BYU-Hawaii on Dec. 10.

Scouting Simon Fraser (4-2, 0-0 GNAC)
> Located in Burnaby, B.C., Simon Fraser is the first college from outside the United States to become a member of the NCAA and the GNAC, joining last year.

> SFU's Javari Williams is the league's leading scorer at 26.2 points per game.

> SPU won all six previous meetings vs. Simon Fraser, four of them at home.

> The Falcons swept last season's meetings, winning 81-57 on Jan. 20 in Seattle and 77-58 on Feb. 24 in Canada.

> In his third season at SPU, Ryan Looney has a 3-0 record against the Clan.

Scouting Western Washington (7-1, 0-0 GNAC)
> Something's gotta give Saturday when the GNAC's best shooting squad (WWU, 49.2%) clashes against the team with the best field goal defense (SPU, 38.5%).

> Western, which won its last five games, is led by the 16.5-point averages of scoring co-leaders John Allen and Rory Blanche.

> The Falcons own a 76-45 series advantage, including wins in 12 of the last 13 meetings with WWU. SPU's current series winning streak is five games, including a 69-61 victory on Jan. 26 in Seattle and 84-70 win on Feb. 22 in Bellingham.

> Western is coached for the 27th season by Brad Jackson, who served as an assistant on the SPU staff for five years under Keith Swagerty from 1976-80. Jackson is married to the former Debbie Halle, an SPU All-America gymnast from 1974-77.

> In his third season at SPU, Ryan Looney has a 4-0 record against the Vikings.

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.

Exhibition Recap
Jobi 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 on Oct. 27 in Tucson. 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. A potential game-winning trey by UA's Nick Johnson missed at the buzzer. On Nov. 4, C.J. Wilcox led four double-figure scorers for Washington with 19 points in a 77-60 win over SPU. Andy Poling's 12 points and seven rebounds paced the Falcons, who made just 10 of 23 free throws against the crosstown Huskies.

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.

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 47-17 (.734). 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 142-72 (.664) 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.

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.

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.

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.