• Complete Release (pdf)
     • VIDEO: Jobi Wall

THURSDAY, JANUARY 3 --
(#5) Western Washington at (#7) Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m. PST
Brougham Pavilion • Seattle, Wash.
 
SATURDAY, JANUARY 5 --
Simon Fraser at (#7) Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m. PST
Brougham Pavilion • Seattle, Wash.
 
• Webcast for both games: http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/spu.portal#
• LiveStats for both games: www.sidearmstats.com/spu/mbball
 
A clash of top-10 teams ushers in the new year when seventh-ranked Seattle Pacific resumes Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball play against defending national champion Western Washington. SPU (9-1, 2-0 GNAC) hosts the fifth-ranked Vikings (10-0, 1-0) on Thursday, Jan. 3 at 7 p.m. on campus in Brougham Pavilion. On Saturday, Jan. 5 the Falcons entertain newest GNAC competitor Simon Fraser (5-4, 0-1) at 7 p.m. SPU won all eight previous meetings against the Clan, a third-year NCAA member.
 
Pacific Northwest Powers
Thursday's encounter is a rematch of last season's NCAA West Regional championship game in Bellingham on Mar. 12. The Vikings beat SPU 56-50 to earn a trip to the Elite Eight. They won their next three playoff contests, capped by a 72-65 victory over Montevallo in the national championship game. The SPU men also possess an impressive postseason pedigree. They participated in the last eight NCAA Tournaments, dating to 2005, the longest current playoff streak among Division II competitors. The Falcons advanced to the Final Four in 2000 and 2006, finishing third both times.
 
Something's Gotta Give
The Jan. 3 Brougham Pavilion battle of Northwest rivals features a stark contrast in styles. There is a 34-point difference between what the Vikings score and SPU allows. Western, which won its last 16 games, ranks fourth nationally with an offense that produces 92.8 points per game. The Falcons counter with the nation's No. 8-ranked defense that surrenders an average of just 58.2 points to opponents.
 
Get Thursday Tickets in Advance
General admission tickets for the Jan. 3 game against WWU are only $6 and can be purchased online at: 
https://quikpayasp.com/spu/commerce_manager/payer.do?orderType=MBBvsWWU
 


Ticket Talk
Individual tickets for 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 and senior citizens. SPU students and staff are free.
 
Prolific Passers
The Falcons were credited with assists on 75 of their 85 baskets during the last three games, including 24 of 26 in an 85-79 victory at 25th-ranked Alaska Anchorage (Dec. 1). For the season, SPU's 76-percent rate of assisted field goals (200 of 262) is significantly higher than last year's final figure of 64 percent.
 
Court Report
Sophomore starting guard Riley Stockton is the nephew of NBA Hall of Famer John Stockton who compiled a record 15,806 assists during his 19-year career with the Utah Jazz ... The Falcons have out-boarded every opponent and rank No. 6 nationally, topping opponents by an average of 12.3 rebounds per game ... Andy Poling became the 32nd member of SPU's 1,000-point club on Dec. 8. He currently has 1,014 career points.
 
Scouting Western Washington (10-0, 1-0 GNAC)
> The fifth-ranked Vikings won their last 16 games, the final six last year and their opening 10 outings this season.
 
> The Jan. 3 encounter is a rematch of last season's NCAA West Regional championship game in Bellingham. The Vikings beat SPU 56-50 to earn a trip to the Elite Eight. They won their next three playoff contests, capped by a 72-65 victory over Montevallo in the national championship game.
 
> The Falcons own a 76-47 series advantage and won 12 of 13 meetings before losing all three encounters last season. The Vikings halted a five-game series losing skid with a 79-71 win on Dec. 3, 2011 in Seattle and won again 72-70 on Feb. 23 in Bellingham.
 
> Western is coached for the first season by Tony Dominguez, who served as an assistant coach on the staff for the last 17 years. He replaced 27-year WWU coach Brad Jackson who is now an assistant at Washington.
 
> In his fourth season at SPU, Ryan Looney has a 4-3 record against the Vikings.
 
Scouting Simon Fraser (5-4, 0-1 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 in 2010-11.
 
> SFU's Elijah Matthews is the league's leading 3-pointer shooter with 3.4 treys per game. He ranks second by making 61.5-percent of his treys.
 
> SPU won all eight previous meetings vs. Simon Fraser, five of them at home.
 
> The Falcons swept SFU last year, winning 68-57 on Dec. 1 in Seattle and 104-75 on Feb. 25 in Burnaby.
 
> In his fourth season at SPU, Ryan Looney has a 4-0 record against the Clan.
 
GNAC Race
The Falcons are seeking to win their fifth GNAC championship since the league was formed in 2001-02. They captured the 2010 and 2006 conference titles outright. SPU shared the 2007 GNAC crown with Seattle University and in 2002 finished in a three-way tie with Humboldt State and Western Washington.
 
Falcons Fast Fact
As a prep pitcher at Faith Christian High School, SPU senior forward Jobi Wall tossed a perfect game and hit for the cycle in a five-inning contest during the 2008 Colorado state Class 3A playoffs.
 
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.
 
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. Reid has been sidelined with an injured hand. 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.
 
Looney's Ledger
Ryan Looney is in his fourth season after directing Seattle Pacific to postseason berths in each of his first three campaigns. He has a 74-25 record at SPU. 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 169-80 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.