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     • VIDEO: Riley Stockton

Sodexo Tip-Off Classic
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
• Webcast for all games: http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/spu.portal#  
• LiveStats for all games: www.sidearmstats.com/spu/mbball

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9 –
Central Washington vs. Azusa Pacific, 3:00 p.m. PST
Academy of Art vs. (#9) Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m. PST
 
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10 –
Central Washington vs. Academy of Art, 3:00 p.m. PST
Azusa Pacific vs. (#9) Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m. PST
 
The 2012-13 regular season begins this weekend for the ninth-ranked Seattle Pacific men's basketball team (0-0), which hosts the four-team Sodexo Tip-Off Classic at Brougham Pavilion. Men's doubleheaders take place both days, Friday, Nov. 9 and Saturday, Nov. 10. The SPU men play the 7 p.m. nightcap each day, playing Academy of Art (0-0) on Friday and Azusa Pacific (0-0) on Saturday. Central Washington 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. These are the only home games during November for the Falcons men, who hit the road for the next three weeks before returning to Brougham Pavilion for a Dec. 8 non-conference game against Evergreen State. SPU drew a split on its two exhibition games, losing 77-71 at Idaho (Oct. 27) before beating Pacific Lutheran 72-48 at home (Nov. 2).
 
Live Tournament Coverage
LiveStats and a free webcast will be available for all Sodexo Tip-Off Classic games. The webcast can be accessed at: http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/spu.portal#   and the LiveStats are available at: www.sidearmstats.com/spu/mbball
 


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.
 
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 for 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.
 
Falcons Fast Facts
SPU's Patrick Simon is a transfer from Washington State who scored a career-high 12 points for the Cougars against Idaho on Nov. 16, 2010 ...  As a prep pitcher at Faith Christian High School, Jobi Wall tossed a perfect game and hit for the cycle in a five-inning contest during the 2008 Colorado state Class 3A playoffs ... SPU owns the longest current playoff streak among NCAA Division II men's basketball teams. The Falcons earned eight straight postseason berths dating to 2002.
 
2012 Preview
Fourth-year coach Ryan Looney returns four starters from last season's 23-8 squad that made its eighth straight playoff appearance. Heading the list of returnees are 2012 All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference selections David Downs and Andy Poling. Downs (6-2, Jr., PG) is the top returning scorer in the GNAC who led SPU with 15.6 points per game. Poling (6-11, Sr., C) transferred from Gonzaga prior to the 2010-11 season. He is the league's leading returning rebounder with 7.4 rebounds per game in 2012 while scoring at a 15.4-point clip. Those two are joined on this year's preseason All-GNAC team by Jobi Wall and newcomer Patrick Simon. Wall (6-6, Sr., F) averaged 11.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game last season. Simon (6-8, Jr., F) is a transfer from Washington State who averaged 2.6 points in limited duty last year. Four other lettermen return, led by starter Riley Stockton (6-4, So., G) and backup center Cory Hutsen (6-8, Jr., C). Stockton is the nephew of Hall of Famer John Stockton, the NBA's all-time assist leader. An impressive cast of newcomers includes athletic Montana State transfer Shawn Reid (6-4, Jr., F) and freshman Brendan Carroll (6-4, Fr., G) from Brisbane, Australia.
 
Scouting Academy of Art (0-0)
> This is the fifth season of competition for AAU, a Pacific West Conference member that posted a 4-24 record last year.
 
> The Urban Knights lost 88-54 in an exhibition game at San Jose State on Nov. 1.
 
> The Falcons won both previous meeting against AAU, an 89-70 decision on Dec. 29, 2009 in Seattle and a 63-33 victory on Nov. 26, 2011 in Phoenix, Ariz.
 
> Fourth-year SPU coach Ryan Looney has a 2-0 record against the Urban Knights.
 
Scouting Azusa Pacific (0-0)
> The Cougars are in their first year of a transition to NCAA Division II after a successful run in NAIA. Their string of 20 consecutive 20-win seasons is the second-longest current streak in all of college basketball.
 
> Azusa compiled a 24-8 record last season.
 
> The Falcons own a 2-1 edge in the all-time series and all three games were played in Seattle. Azusa won the last meeting 81-73 Nov. 22, 1997.
 
> In his fourth season at SPU, Ryan Looney has never coached against the Cougars.
 
Terrific Transfers
The Falcons roster is bolstered by the addition of NCAA Division I transfers Shawn Reid and Patrick Simon. A 6-foot-4 junior forward, Reid was the second-leading scorer at Montana State, averaging 10.6 points and 3.3 rebounds in 2012. He started 10 games, including a Feb. 15 contest against Weber State during which he made five 3-pointers en route to a career-high 31-point performance. Simon is a 6-8 junior forward who played two seasons at Washington State. He averaged 2.6 points in limited duty for the Cougars, getting 15 of his 22 baskets from 3-point range.
 
Recent Recap
Jobi Wall tallied 10 of his 14 points during the first half as Seattle Pacific took control early en route to a 72-48 home exhibition win over Pacific Lutheran on Nov. 2. Wall was one of five double-figure scorers for SPU, which also got 10 from David Downs and 12 apiece from Patrick Simon, Andy Poling and Cory Hutsen. The Falcons drew a split of their two tune-up games as they lost 77-71 at Division I Idaho on Oct. 27. Downs tallied 22 points to lead the Falcons. The trailed by as many as 20 points in the second half before drawing within 70-65 with 1:08 left to play on five straight points from Downs. But that was as close as SPU would come.
 
Looney's Ledger
Ryan Looney begins his fourth season after directing Seattle Pacific to a 65-24 record and postseason berths in each of his first three campaigns. The Falcons registered a 23-8 record last year and finished third in the GNAC with a 13-5 mark. They won two playoff games and advanced to the West Region final before losing 56-50 to eventual national champion Western Washington. In 2011, SPU was 20-10 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 conference championship in his inaugural season. He was voted the 2010 GNAC Coach of the Year. Looney, who led his 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, 37, has a 160-79 (.669) career record, including a 95-55 ledger in five seasons with Eastern Oregon. He directed EOU to back-to-back NAIA Tournament appearances in 2008 and 2009.
 
Eight Great Years
Seattle Pacific boasts the longest current playoff streak among NCAA Division II men's basketball programs, a stretch of eight years that dates to 2005. The Falcons posted a 169-67 record over those previous eight seasons, more victories than any GNAC 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, 20-10 in 2011 and 23-8 last season. The 169 combined wins are the second-highest eight-year total in school history, topped only by a 174-win run from 1995 to 2002. The Falcons advanced to the national semifinals in 2006.
 
GNAC Coaches Poll
Seattle Pacific, which returns four starters from a team that advanced to the 2012 West Region final, was selected as the favorite to capture the Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball championship by the preseason coaches' poll. In addition, SPU placed a league-high four players on the 15-man preseason all-conference team. The Falcons collected eight of 10 first-place votes en route to a 97-point total. Defending national champion Western Washington was projected to place second by the GNAC coaches, receiving the remaining two first-place votes for 90 points. Central Washington was selected third with 79 points, followed by Alaska Anchorage (70), Montana State Billings (49), Western Oregon (41) and Northwest Nazarene (34). Alaska Fairbanks and Saint Martin's tied for ninth with 31 points and Simon Fraser had a 10th-place total of 28. Among the Falcons four individuals honored were unanimous preseason picks David Downs and Andy Poling, who were all-conference team members in 2012. They are joined on this year's early GNAC squad by Jobi Wall and newcomer Patrick Simon. SPU claimed four league championships in the past 11 seasons.