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THURSDAY, JANUARY 12 --
Seattle Pacific at Central Washington, 7:00 p.m. PST
Nicholson Pavilion • Ellensburg, Wash.
•Webcast: www.pennatlantic.com
•LiveStats: www.wildcatsports.com/custompages/livestats/mbasketball.html

SATURDAY, JANUARY 14 --
Seattle Pacific at Northwest Nazarene, 6:00 p.m. PST (7 p.m. MST)
Johnson Sports Center • Nampa, Idaho
•Webcast: http://nnu.nmtvsports.com 
•LiveStats: www.sidearmstats.com/nnu/mbball

A critical three-game road trip begins this week for the Seattle Pacific men's basketball team (12-3, 4-2 GNAC), beginning on Thursday, Jan. 12 at Central Washington (7-6, 1-4). Tip-off is 7 p.m. at Nicholson Pavilion for this rematch of the 2011 NCAA Tournament first-round game that SPU won 76-63. The Falcons visit Nampa, Idaho on Saturday, Jan. 14 for a 6 p.m. Pacific Time (7 p.m. MST) clash with Northwest Nazarene (8-5, 2-3) at the Johnson Sports Center. SPU suffered an 81-70 setback in its last visit to NNU.

Dynamic Defense
Seattle Pacific's defense ranks No. 4 nationally by surrendering just 55.7 points per game, over six points fewer than the school-record figure of 61.8 points opponents were limited to in 1962-63. Academy of Art lost 63-33 to SPU on Nov. 26, the lowest opponent point total allowed since 1951 when Saint Martin's was held to 31. The Falcons have a 10-0 record when keeping opponents under 60 points. SPU is holding opponents to 37.8-percent shooting (No. 7 nationally). BYU-Hawaii is the only team to shoot 50 percent against the Falcons, converting 51 percent (29 of 57) of its shots on Dec. 10. The Falcons held four foes under 50 points. Along with scoring and field goal defense, SPU also leads the league in 3-point field goal defense at 28.5 percent (13th NCAA).



Recent Recap
SPU swept the Alaska schools at home, winning 67-54 win over Fairbanks (Jan. 5) and 85-51 over No. 18 Anchorage (Jan. 7). David Downs led the Falcons in both games with 15 and 20 points, respectively. SPU finished with an 8-1 record in non-conference games, including a 76-65 home win over then third-ranked BYU-Hawaii (Nov. 19).

Notable
The Falcons outrebounded their last three opponents by a combined 151-70, including a 61-24 advantage over Alaska Fairbanks on Jan. 5 ... SPU won all 12 games when leading with five minutes left to play ... The Falcons boasts an 11-1 record when posting a better field goal percentage than opponents.

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.

Scouting Central Washington (7-6, 1-4 GNAC)
> The defending GNAC champion Wildcats lost their last three games.

> Something's gotta give Thursday when the league's highest scoring team (CWU at 84.1 points per game) meets its best defense (SPU at 55.7 ppg allowed.)

> Central features a balanced attack with six double-figure scorers, led by the 13.0-point average of Kevin Davis.

> The Wildcats lead the all-time series 70-43 and won nine of the last 12 meetings against SPU, including wins in both regular-season meetings last season.

> SPU upset the fifth-ranked and top-seeded Wildcats 76-63 on Mar. 11 in the first round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament. That stopped the Falcons five-game losing skid in Ellensburg.

> In his third season at SPU, Ryan Looney has a 2-3 record against the Wildcats.

Scouting Northwest Nazarene (8-5, 2-3 GNAC)
> The Crusaders, from Nampa, Idaho, are led by the potent scoring trio of Anthony (15.9 ppg), JB Pillard (15.7 ppg) and Keith Moilanen (13.3 ppg).

> NNU leads the GNAC with 10.6 made 3-pointers per game. SPU averages 7.7 treys.

> SPU leads the series 46-22, including wins in 10 of the last 12 meetings. The Falcons won last year's first encounter 84-67 on Jan. 15 in Seattle before losing 81-70 at NNU on Feb. 12.

> Dave Daniels is in his first year as head coach of the Crusaders after spending the last six seasons at Colorado Christian where he coached current SPU player Jobi Wall.

> Third-year SPU coach Ryan Looney has a 3-1 record against NNU.

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.

Big Men on Campus
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. Poling is a Sporting News honorable mention preseason All-American.

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 is in his third season after directing Seattle Pacific to postseason berths in each of his first two campaigns. His SPU record is 54-19 (.740). 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 149-74 (.668) 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.

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.

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.

Next Week
The SPU men play at Montana State Billings on Jan. 21 at 6 p.m. PST.