THE SCHEDULE
Thursday, Jan. 12               Central Washington at Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m.
                                                Brougham Pavilion (2,650) / Seattle, Wash.
                                                Live Webcast        Live stats             
 
Saturday, Jan. 14               Northwest Nazarene at Seattle Pacific, 2:00 p.m.
                                                Brougham Pavilion (2,650) / Seattle, Wash.      
                                                Live Webcast        Live stats       
 
 
        Weekly release, with complete updated stats (PDF)
 
SEATTLE – The Seattle Pacific Falcons are back home for two weeks, three games – and a 40- to 70-degree improvement in temperatures.
                     
Having returned from a frigid trip to Alaska, where temperatures ranged from 36 below zero in Fairbanks to about 10 degrees above in Anchorage, the Falcons will get ready for this week's Brougham Pavilion visits from Central Washington on Thursday night and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday afternoon. SPU and Central tip off at 7; the NNU game starts at 2.
 
Seattle Pacific starts the week in third place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings after winning at Alaska Fairbanks, but losing at Alaska Anchorage last week. SPU is just half a game behind second-place Western Washington (4-1), and the Vikings have to tangle with conference-leading Anchorage (5-0) on Saturday in Bellingham.
 
The Falcons have their first of two regular-season byes next week, with their only game being on Saturday, Jan. 21, against Montana State Billings in Brougham at 2 p.m.
 
FOLLOW IT LIVE
Live stats and live Webcasts will be available for both of this week's games. Links can be found at the top of this story.
 
SAVE THOSE SOCKS
The Falcons will be conducting a sock drive for their Feb. 2 home game against Alaska Anchorage. The drive is in conjunction with Tent City 3, which will arrive on campus Jan. 21 for a two-month stay. Fans are encouraged to bring new or gently used pairs of socks. A bin will be available in the gym lobby.
 
This is the first of two drives associated with Tent City. A blanket drive is set for Saturday, Feb. 11 when the men play host to Central Washington at 7 p.m.
 




SO WHAT'S THE STORY THIS WEEK?
--The Falcons have had command of the series against Central Washington recently, winning eight in a row.
--It was against the Wildcats in Brougham last Feb. 12 when SPU coach Julie Heisey earned her 300^th victory, a 79-58 romp.
--Central was here in November for the Sodexo Tip-Off Classic, rolling past Harding of Texas, 88-68, and falling to Cal State East Bay, 69-62. Central guard Alex Dunn was named to the all-tournament team.
--On the one hand, Seattle Pacific has dominated the series against Northwest Nazarene, with a 24-2 all-time advantage and eight straight wins.
--On the other hand, many of those recent wins have been by heart-stopping margins. The current SPU seniors have played six games against the Crusaders, and have won all six. But that includes a four-pointer, a two-pointer, a one-pointer, and a three-pointers. Of those, two have been in Brougham (63-62 in 2011, and 65-62 last season).
--For the second time in a week, the Falcons will have to defend two of the conference's top 10 scorers. Megan Hingston is No. 1 at 17.3, and Briaunna King is No. 4 at 16.5. Last Saturday at Alaska Anchorage, SPU faced off against current No. 8 Haley Holmstead (she went for 27 points) and No. 10 Hanna Johansson (she tallied 22).
 
SPEAKING OF THE FALCONS
Seattle Pacific coach Julie Heisey is expecting stiff challenges from both Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene this week.
 
“Central is a lot better than a four-win team,” she said. “They are very good offensively, and defensively, they're playing an aggressive man-to-man, and they're getting better every day. They're fast and they're good shooters, so we've got our work cut out.
 
NNU has a lot of returning players from last year, they're a very fast team and a very feisty team,” Heisey said. “They attack the basket a lot. Briaunna King is playing very well for them at the post, and they have some really good scorers in Chelsey Luke and Megan Hingston.”
 
Heisey believes the Falcons will have no problem shaking off the disappointment of last Saturday's loss at Alaska Anchorage and moving forward.
 
“It's an exciting time because we know what the measuring stick is, our weaknesses have been pointed out, and there are things we can work on,” she said. “It's early, and we do have time, but we have to make use of every day.”
 
CENTRAL WASHINGTON WILDCATS: 4-8, 1-4 GNAC (9th)
All-time series: SPU leads, 39-28. Current series streak: SPU won 8. Last time: SPU 79, CWU 58 (Feb. 12, 2011 at Seattle). Wildcats on the Web.
Wildcats in a nutshell: Central had an 11-point lead with 7:38 remaining at Northwest Nazarene last Saturday, but wound up falling in overtime, 91-88, as 28 points from Alex Dunn – she of the recent triple-double – and 27 from Jessica VanDyke weren't enough. Dunn pulled off the rare triple double, collecting 13 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in a 97-74 rout of Alaska Fairbanks in Ellensburg on New Year's Eve. It was just the fourth triple-double in GNAC history and the first since 2006. VanDyke leads the Wildcats in both scoring (14.8, ranking No. 9 in the GNAC) and rebounding (7.2, tied for No. 9). Dunn is No. 2 for Central in both departments at 12.2 points and 6.1 rebounds, and leads the GNAC in assists at 5.5 per game.
 
NORTHWEST NAZARENE CRUSADERS: 9-4, 3-2 GNAC (tie 4^th)
All-time series: SPU leads, 24-2. Current series streak: SPU won 8. Last time: SPU 65, NNU 62 (Feb. 10, 2011 at Seattle). Crusaders on the Web.
Crusaders in a nutshell: Northwest Nazarene, coming off its 91-88 overtime thriller against Central Washington last Saturday, is in the thick of what has become a wide-open race for second place in the GNAC. Kelli Lindley is back at the coaching helm of the Crusaders, having taken last year off following the birth of her second child. NNU's biggest threat is 5-foot-9 sophomore guard Megan Hingston, now the GNAC scoring leader at 17.3 points per game, and senior 6-0 post player Briaunna King (16.5, ranking fourth). Those two also are among the top 10 rebounders, with King fiftrh at 8.8, and Hingston ninth at 7.2. Both are shooting better than .500 – King No. 9 at .513, and Hingston No. 11 at .505. Both NNU (12.2 average) and senior guard Alla Dzhidzhiyeshvili (2.8) lead the GNAC steals stats.
                                                                                                                                                       
HOW DO THEY COMPARE?
(GNAC / NWC rankings)
                                                SPU                        CWU                      NNU
Points                                    73.6 (3)                  71.1 (5)                  75.4 (2)
Points allowed                    61.4 (5)                  70.8 (9)                  63.6 (7)
Rebounds                             42.7 (3)                  39.6 (5)                  43.1 (2)
Assists                                 18.1 (2)                  14.8 (4)                  14.3 (6)
Blocks                                    2.6 (7)                    1.8 (8)                    1.5 (10)
Steals                                     6.9 (10)                  9.5 (4)                  12.2 (1)
Fewest turnovers              17.6 (3)                  16.8 (2)                  19.3 (6)
FG percent                           .443 (3)                  .370 (8)                  .427 (4)
3-point percent                   .356 (3)                 .345 (4)                  .317 (6)
FT percent                            .784 (1)                 .694 (9)                  .765 (2)
 
Click on this link for a complete look at GNAC statistics.
 
FALCONS REPLAY
--Nyesha Sims scored 22 points and grabbed a career-high 19 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season, leading Seattle Pacific to an 88-64 blowout at Alaska Fairbanks last Thursday.
--Betsy Kingma scored a career-high 15 points on Saturday night, and Katie Benson also had 15, but Haley Holmstead and Hanna Johanson combined for 49 points in leading No. 9 Alaska Anchorage past Seattle Pacific last Saturday at Anchorage, 82-59.
 
DOUBLE-DOUBLE DELIGHTS
With half of the season still to go, senior guard Nyesha Sims (Portland, Ore.) already has matched her career output of double-doubles. Sims piled up 22 points and a career-high 19 rebounds in last Thursday's 88-64 victory at Alaska Anchorage for her fifth double-double of the season. All five have come in the past eight games. She now has 10 for her career, with the five others coming last year when she became a regular starter.
 
SPU'S COACHES HAD GAME WHILE PLAYING AT NNU
Back in their playing days, Seattle Pacific head coach Julie Heisey and lead assistant coach Michelle Skyles were potent forces for Northwest Nazarene, this Saturday's opponent in Brougham Pavilion. Both still rank among the top 10 in several of NNU's all-time statistical categories. Heisey, who played from 1985-89, is No. 4 in career blocked shots (103), tied for No. 7 in rebounds (777), No. 9 in field goals made (485), and No. 10 in rebounding average (7.8 per game), field goal attempts (1,042) and free throw attempts (357). She also is No. 10 in single-season field goal shooting (.555).
                                                                                                                        
Skyles is No. 2 on the all-time Crusaders list in 3-point shooting (.436). Her senior year percentage (.436, on 24 of 55) ranks No. 4 on the single-season top-10 list.
 
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
In the latest NCAA Division II national stats released on Jan. 9, the Falcons find themselves among the top 10 teams in free throw shooting (No. 6 at .784), and assists (No. 10 at 18.2 per game). The Falcons also rank high in field goal shooting (22^nd at .443).
 
Individually, senior guard Jordan Harazin (Colfax, Wash./Colfax HS) ranks No. 12 in the country for assist/turnover ratio at 2.29 (meaning 2.29 assists for every one turnover).

Click on this link to see how SPU and GNAC players and teams stack up nationally.
 
SIMS: CHAIRWOMAN OF THE BOARDS
No question that Nyesha Sims has been getting the rebounding job done. Her average of 8.9 per game is tied for No. 2 in the GNAC, trailing only Alaska Anchorage's Hanna Johansson, who averages 9.2 and, a 6-foot-2, stand six inches taller than Sims.
 
But despite some big nights, Sims was stuck at a career-high of 13 boards in a single game, having reached that total three times, including twice this season. Then last Thursday at Fairbanks, Sims bettered that with plenty of room to spare, grabbing 19 against the Nanooks. That marked the first time in nearly two years that an SPU player had gone for 15 or more. The last one to do it was Megan Hoisington, who had 15 on Feb. 6, 2010 in Seattle against Northwest Nazarene.
 
WHILE WE'RE TALKING CAREER NIGHTS …
Sims wasn't the only Falcon with a big rebounding performance last Thursday at Fairbanks. Senior guard McKayla Gorman (Parker, Colo.) came down with seven. That was one better than her previous high, which she set on Nov. 22 in Brougham Pavilion against Puget Sound. Gorman came into the season with a career-best of five.
 
BENSON HALFWAY TO A MILLENNIUM
Well, not quite halfway. Sophomore forward Katie Benson is just five points shy of her 500^th, meaning she has an excellent chance of passing that mark on Thursday against Central Washington.
                                                                                                                                                                 
The next major mark, of course, would be 1,000 points – not within reach this season, but certainly a possibility for next season if Benson continues at or near her current 16.4 per-game scoring average. The last Falcon to top 1,000 was Daesha Henderson near the end of her senior season in 2010. She finished with 1,051
 
MILESTONES IN THE MAKING
100^th game – Nyesha Sims (has 98).
100^th rebound – Joani Reimer (has 98).
100^th steal – Nyesha Sims (has 87).
200^th point – Aubree Callen (has 198).
300^th point – McKayla Gorman (has 275).
300^th rebound – Jordan Harazin (has 288).
500^th point – Katie Benson (has 495).
                      Nyesha Sims (has 472).
 
MILESTONES MADE LAST WEEK
100^th point – Joani Reimer (has 100).
600^th point – Jordan Harazin (has 602).
 
TICKET TALK
Tickets for SPU's home games can be purchased at Brougham Pavilion (3414 3rd Ave. W.) on game day. Ticket windows open one hour prior to the listed start time for all home games.

Reserved seats are $8 for center court and $7 for the foul lines. General admission tickets are priced at $6 for adults and $3 for students and senior citizens. SPU students who show their school identification will be admitted free to all home games.

AROUND THE GNAC
Click on this link for a look at news, notes, schedule and stats from around the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.              
 
UP NEXT
Seattle Pacific gets a bit of a breather next week. The Falcons have a bye on Thursday, Jan. 19, then are home against Montana State Billings on Jan. 21 at 2 p.m. 

 
GNAC STANDINGS
                                             GNAC   Season
Alaska Anchorage               5-0          14-2
Western Washington          4-1          10-3
Seattle Pacific                      4-2          10-4
Northwest Nazarene           3-2            9-4
Simon Fraser                       3-2            8-5
Montana State Billings       3-3          11-6
Saint Martin's                       2-4            7-9
Western Oregon                  2-4            3-13
Central Washington           1-4             4-8
Alaska Fairbanks                0-5            4-11