THE SCHEDULE
Thursday, Jan. 26              Seattle Pacific at Saint Martin's, 7:00 p.m.
                                          Marcus Pavilion / Lacey, Wash.
                                          Live Webcast        No live stats
 
Saturday, Jan. 28               Seattle Pacific at Western Oregon, 2:00 p.m.
                                           New P.E. Building / Monmouth, Ore.                   
                                           Live Webcast        Live stats             
 
 
         Weekly release, with complete updated stats (PDF)

         RECENT PHOTO GALLERIES:
         C. Washington (Jan. 12)     NW Nazarene (Jan. 14)    Billings (Jan 21)

SEATTLE – Here they go again.
 
Now having played every team once, the Seattle Pacific Falcons begin the second half of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball schedule this week when they hit the road for trips to Saint Martin's and Western Oregon.
 
The Falcons tip off against the Saints in Lacey on Thursday night at 7. Then on Friday, they're back on the bus for a trip to Monmouth, Ore., and Saturday's 2 p.m. game against the Wolves.
 
SPU comes into the week as part of a three-way tie for second place, despite last Saturday's 63-62 homecourt overtime loss to Montana State Billings. The Falcons, Western Washington and Simon Fraser are all 6-3, two games behind conference-leading Alaska Anchorage (8-1).
 
FOLLOW IT LIVE
Live Webcasts will be available for both of this week's games. (The Saint Martin's game will not have audio.) Live stats will be available from Saturday's game at Western Oregon, but not from Thursday's game at Saint Martin's. Links can be found at the top of this story.
 
2 GAMES, 2 SPECIAL NIGHTS
The Falcons will be conducting a sock drive during their home game against Alaska Anchorage next Thursday, Feb. 2.  The drive is in conjunction with Tent City 3, which is at Wallace Field 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.
 
When Alaska Fairbanks comes to town on Saturday, Feb. 4, it will be Play for Kay in Brougham Pavilion to support the battle against breast cancer. It is the same program that in previous years has been known as Pink Zone.
 
Both games tip off at 7 p.m.



 
SO WHAT'S THE STORY THIS WEEK?
--The Falcons handled both opponents easily in Seattle to close out calendar year 2011, beating Western Oregon, 74-51, and Saint Martin's, 70-39.
--But last year's road games at those venues were tight. SPU was up by just five at Saint Martin's in the final minute before pulling away to win, 57-47. At Western Oregon, the Falcons were down 67-65 inside the five-minute mark, then ran off 13 straight points to take it, 78-70.
--Saint Martin's is one of two opponents Seattle Pacific has kept below 40 points this season. The other was San Francisco State, a 56-37 Falcons win on Nov. 12 in Hayward, Calif.
--SPU senior guard Nyesha Sims (Portland, Ore.) tied her career high with 26 points last Saturday against Montana State Billings. The first time she got that many? Last Feb. 17 at Western Oregon.
--The longest winning streak for the Falcons vs. conference opponents is against Western Oregon – 27 in a row. WOU's last win in the series was Feb. 26, 1982 in Monmouth, 91-49.
 
SPEAKING OF THE FALCONS
Even though they've now seen every GNAC team, the Falcons aren't necessarily going to find the going any easier the second time around.
 
“Like last year, we're seeing a lot of parity in the conference, and a lot of youth in the conference,” coach Julie Heisey said. “On any given night, anyone can get beat – Simon Fraser beat Anchorage, Saint Martin's beat Simon Fraser, and Billings came in and beat us. You have to be ready every single night.”
 
She emphasized that it's even truer when wearing the dark away uniforms.
 
“It's recognizing on the road that you have to take care of the little things offensively like lowering turnovers, hitting shots, hitting free throws, because there's not much margin for error,” Heisey said. “That's our challenge this week as we go to Western Oregon and Saint Martin's is making sure we can tighten up those little areas – turnovers, rebounds, things like that, and make sure you're not giving people second opportunities.”
 
Overall, though, Heisey likes the direction in which the Falcons are headed.
 
“I look back to where we were the week after finals (in December). We lost to Chico State (77-72 on Dec. 10), and we were disappointed. I look at where we're at, and I just think our practices and effort and attitude have been so much more consistent. We're just more cohesive, and that's a big thing.”
 
SAINT MARTIN'S SAINTS: 7-12, 2-7 GNAC (tie 8th)
All-time series: SPU leads, 48-11. Current series streak: SPU won 2. Last time: SPU 70, Saint Martin's 39 (Dec. 31, 2011 at Seattle). Saints on the Web.
Saints in a nutshell: Saint Martin's had a nice early-season stretch with six wins in seven games. But things have turned the other direction of late, with six losses in the past seven games, including three straight. The one victory during that time was an impressive one: 64-57 at home against Simon Fraser on Jan. 7, one of just three losses for the Clan in GNAC play. Sophomore forward Chelsea Haskey leads Saint Martin's in scoring at 13.7 points per game, ranking No. 11 in the conference. She went off for 18 on 9-of-15 shooting at SPU in December. Haskey also is the fifth-best rebounder in the conference at 8.8 per game.
 
WESTERN OREGON WOLVES: 4-15, 3-6 GNAC (7th)
All-time series: SPU leads, 27-2. Current series streak: SPU won 27. Last time: SPU 74, WOU 51 (Dec. 29, 2011 at Seattle). Wolves on the Web.
Wolves in a nutshell: Western Oregon has dropped seven of its last eight, including a tough one-pointer (69-68) at Alaska Fairbanks last Saturday. The Wolves can be tough at home, having beaten Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene, and leading Western Washington by eight during the second half before falling, 66-61. Rylee Peterson is No. 6 in GNAC scoring at 15.9 points per game. At SPU in December, Peterson missed her first nine shots, then hit six of her final eight to finish with 13 points. The 5-foot-11 senior forward also averages 7.1 rebounds. Jade Haas can light up the board, too, averaging 10.1 points per game.
 
HOW DO THEY COMPARE?
(GNAC / NWC rankings)
                                                SPU                        StM                         WOU
Points                                     74.2 (2)                  54.8 (10)                59.7 (9)
Points allowed                     62.3 (4)                  62.2 (3)                  69.7 (8)
Rebounds                              42.9 (3)                  35.0 (T9)                35.0 (T9)
Assists                                   17.8 (2)                 10.2 (10)                10.3 (9)
Blocks                                      3.2 (3)                    2.7 (7)                     3.3 (2)
Steals                                       7.0 (10)                  9.1 (6)                     9.3 (5)
Fewest turnovers                17.6 (4)                  21.0 (9)                  23.7 (10)
FG percent                             .445 (3)                  .357 (9)                  .417 (4)
3-point percent                     .358 (3)                  .268 (9)                 .304 (7)
FT percent                             .780 (1)                  .753 (3)                  .697 (8)
 
Click on this link for a complete look at GNAC statistics.
 
FALCONS REPLAY
--Nyesha Sims tied her career high with 26 points, but Bobbi Knudsen hit a tie-breaking free throw with 3.4 seconds left in overtime last Saturday, and Montana State Billings hung on to beat Seattle Pacific in Brougham Pavilion, 63-62.
 
DOUBLE-DOUBLE DELIGHTS
Another game, another double-double for Nyesha Sims. SPU's senior guard put 26 points and 14 rebounds into the book last Saturday in a 63-62 overtime loss to Montana State Billings. That was her second straight double-double, her seventh of the season, and the 12^th of her career.  It took Sims until her sixth game – an 82-66 victory at Western Washington on Dec. 3 – to log her first one of the season (10 points, 13 rebounds). But since then, Sims has not gone more than one game without one.
                                        
Sophomore forward Katie Benson (Snohomish, Wash./Snohomish HS) has two career double-doubles, both this season. Her most recent was 16 points and 11 rebounds on Jan. 12 when the Falcons beat Central Washington in Seattle, 97-79.
                                       
MIDTERM EXAM
At the midpoint on the GNAC schedule, the Falcons have the same 6-3 record that they had last season after nine games. They also were 12-5 after 17 games overall in 2010-11.
 
On the stat sheet, Seattle Pacific is the second-highest scoring team in the conference (74.2), the third-best team for field goal shooting (44.5 percent) and 3-point shooting (35.8 percent), the best free throw shooting team (78 percent), and the second-best passing team (17.9 assists per game). The Falcons rank No. 4 defensively (62.3 points per game), No. 3 in rebounding (42.9), and No. 3 in blocked shots (3.2).
 
20-SOMETHINGS
The 26-point production by Nyesha Sims last Saturday was her third in the 20s this season – all in the past five games. It was the eighth of the year for Seattle Pacific. Sophomore forward Katie Benson has four such outings, most recently on Dec. 10 when she poured in 20 at home against Chico State. Benson's high was 24 at Western Washington on Dec. 3. The other 20-plus game belongs to junior forward Rachel Murray (Eglington, New South Wales, Australia), who pumped in 23 against Chico State.
 
Sims has four games of 20 or more in her career. The first of those was her current career high of 26 last February at Western Oregon.
 
PLAYOFF PICTURE
If the season ended today, the Falcons definitely would make the GNAC Touranment, as the top six teams qualify. But while Alaska Anchorage is in control of the top seed at 8-1 through the completion of the first half, the No. 2 spot – and corresponding first-round bye is up for grabs, as evidenced by the three-way tie for second between SPU, Western Washington and Simon Fraser to start this week, all at 6-3.
 
A pair of victories this week would help Seattle Pacific regain sole possession of No. 2 for at least a few days. Western and Simon Fraser both have Thursday off, then tangle on Saturday at Burnaby, B.C.
 
FIVE ASSISTS TO GO
With her four assists last Saturday against Montana State Billings, senior guard Jordan Harazin (Colfax, Wash./Colfax HS) now needs five more to join the GNAC's all-time top 20. Harazin has 266 for her career. She is well in range of the top 15. To get there, she'll have to reach 291.
 
If Harazin does get that high, she would past two former Falcon stars to get there. Daesha Henderson (2006-10) currently is No. 19 with 275 assists, and Kristin Poe (1999-2004) is No. 18 with 276. Beth Christensen (2004-08), another former SPU player, is the all-time GNAC leader with 501 – one more than No. 2-ranked Melanie Wagoner of Alaska Fairbanks (1998-2002).
 
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
In this week's NCAA Division II national stats released on Jan. 24, Seattle Pacific is in the national top 25 in seven stat categories, and is among the top 10 in three of them: free throw shooting (No. 7 at .780), rebounding margin (No. 7 at +10.4), and assists (No. 10 at 17.9). Elsewhere, the Falcons are 14th in fewest fouls committed per game (13.8), 17th in field goal shooting (.445), 25th in scoring (74.2) and 25th in 3-point shooting (.358).
 
Senior guard Jordan Harazin continues to be among the best ball handlers in the nation, ranking No. 11 this week in assist/turnover ratio. She averages 2.22 assists for every one turnover.
 
Click on this link to see now GNAC players and individuals stack up nationally in NCAA Division II.
 
POLLING PLACE
UC San Diego remains undefeated (18-0), ranked No. 1 nationally and still very much in control of the host spot for the NCAA West Regional tournament. The Tritons received 794 of a possible 800 points in this week's USA Today/ESPN coaches poll, which was released on Tuesday. Also from the West Region, Grand Canyon is No. 11, Alaska Anchorage is No. 12, and Cal Poly Pomona is No. 22.
 
The first regional rankings will be released on Feb. 15. The top team in the final regional rankings in late February earns the right to host the tournament. The three conference champions (GNAC, CCAA and Pacific West), and the next five highest-ranked teams make the field.
 
Click on this link for a look at the national poll.
 
MILESTONES IN THE MAKING
100^th point – Suzanna Ohlsen (has 97).
100^th steal – Nyesha Sims (has 95).
300^th point – McKayla Gorman (has 290).
200^th rebound – Rachel Murray (has 186).
300^th rebound – Jordan Harazin (has 294).
                                                                                    
MILESTONES MADE LAST WEEK          
500^th rebound – Nyesha Sims (has 502).          
 
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
Second-half conference rematches continue next week, and the Falcons have one they're definitely looking forward to when Alaska Anchorage comes to Brougham Pavilion on Thursday, Feb. 2. Seattle Pacific will be seeking some redemption after the Seawolves rolled to an 82-59 victory on Jan. 5 in Anchorage. Alaska Fairbanks is here on Saturday, Feb. 4. Both games tip off at 7 p.m.
 
 
GNAC STANDINGS
                                             GNAC   Season
Alaska Anchorage               8-1          17-3
Seattle Pacific                      6-3          12-5
Western Washington          6-3          12-5
Simon Fraser                       6-3          11-6
Montana State Billings        5-4          13-7
Northwest Nazarene           5-4          11-6
Western Oregon                  3-6           4-15
Saint Martin's                        2-7          7-12
Alaska Fairbanks                 2-7          6-13
Central Washington            2-7           5-11