THE SCHEDULE
Saturday, Feb. 18   SPU at Montana State Billings, 6:00 p.m. PST
                                    Alterowitz Gymnasium / Billings, Mont.
                                    Live Webcast        Live stats
 
               
         Weekly release, with complete updated stats (PDF)
 
SEATTLE – With the women's basketball regular season winding down, the Seattle Pacific Falcons know they need to get back into a winning groove.
 
SPU has a chance – not to mention plenty of incentive – to do that this week against one of this season's surprising teams when they visit Montana State Billing on Saturday night. The game in the Yellowjackets' Alterowitz Gymnasium tips off at 6 Pacific time.
               
That will be the last of a three-game stretch away from Brougham Pavilion, the first two of which did not end favorably for the Falcons. Seattle Pacific came up short in both of last week's contests, falling 81-77 at Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and 80-75 at Central Washington on Saturday. In both games, the home side wiped out a double-digit deficit, then hung on for the victory.
 
The trip to Billings is SPU's only game this week, as Thursday is its final bye of the year. The conference schedule concludes next week when Western Washington visits Seattle on Thursday, followed by Simon Fraser on Saturday.
 
FOLLOW IT LIVE
A live Webcast and live stats will be available for Saturday's game. Links can be found at the top of this story.

PEEKING AHEAD AT PLAYOFFS
While their primary focus is the three remaining regular-season games, the postseason is rapidly approaching. First up is the GNAC Tournament on March 1, 2 and 3 at Saint Martin's in Lacey, followed by the NCAA Division II West Regionals at the site of the region's top-ranked team (likely UC San Diego) on March 9, 10 and 12.
 
One more victory for the Falcons, or one more loss by Western Oregon will secure a conference playoff berth. (The top six qualify this year, unlike last year's top-eight format.) If Seattle Pacific can finish at least second in the final standings – a tough challenge, but still mathematically possible --  that would mean a first-round bye on March 1 and a semifinal game on March 2.
 
A total of eight teams make the West Region field: the GNAC, CCAA and Pac West champions, then the next highest-ranked teams on the final regional list. The first rankings are due out Wednesday. If Seattle Pacific is not in the top eight in this and subsequent rankings, it would have to win the GNAC tournament to gain an automatic berth to regionals.
             
SENIOR NIGHT IS COMING UP
The Falcons will salute their senior players when Simon Fraser comes to Brougham Pavilion on Saturday, Feb. 25, at 7 p.m. Guards McKayla Gorman and Jordan Harazin, and center Joani Reimer will be honored prior to the game against the Clan.
               
SO WHAT'S THE STORY THIS WEEK?
--The Falcons will be out to snap their first two-game losing streak of the season. They had three such streaks last year.
--So which GNAC team has the longest current winning streak against SPU? Not Alaska Anchorage, not Western Washington – the Falcons won the most recent meeting against both of those teams. It's Montana State Billings, with three in a row: 59-50 at Seattle, and 54-51 at Billings in 2011, and last month's 63-62 overtime victory at Seattle Pacific.
--In that Jan. 21 home game, the Falcons jumped to leads of 9-0 and 11-4. But the Yellowjackets ran off 20 straight points to take a 24-11 lead, saw SPU forge back in front, then rallied from four down in the final 3 ½ minutes of the game to force overtime.
--At 17-17, this is the only series deadlock between the Falcons and a GNAC opponent. The next-closest one is Central Washington, which SPU now leads, 40-29.
 
SPEAKING OF THE FALCONS
Simply put, Seattle Pacific needs to pull out some results in the final three games, not only to secure a spot in the GNAC tournament, but to gain some momentum heading into it.
 
“I believe in our kids, and I believe that we can finish strong,” head coach Julie Heisey said. 
 
While Montana State Billings has surprised many people with its success this season, Heisey knows what her team is in for when it takes the court on Saturday night.
 
“Billings is very, very talented and very good shooters, but they're also good drivers,” she said. “Last time (against us), they went on a 20-0 run, and that was the beginning of the end. I hope we've learned a lot from that game. We've watched that game as a reference point on what to do or not do.”
 
Heisey is giving added emphasis to some of the same things she has been focusing on all season.
 
“The things that have been a thorn in our flesh is we have to rebound, we can't give teams second shots, and our defense has to improve,” she said. “And we have to look at how we can be more offensively efficient. We've scored a lot of points, but we have to make the most of every possession.”
 
“Right now, we have to dig deep and control the things we can control,” Heisey added. “It comes down to you can't show weakness and you can't give (the other team) hope.”
               
MONTANA STATE BILLINGS YELLOWJACKETS: 18-8, 10-5 GNAC (3^rd)
All-time series: Tied, 17-17. Current series streak: Billings won 3. Last time: Billings 63, SPU 62 OT (Jan. 21, 2012 at Seattle). Yellowjackets on the Web.
Yellowjackets in a nutshell: Montana State Billings was picked for an eighth-place finish in the GNAC preseason coaches poll, which wouldn't even have put them into the six-team conference tournament. But the Yellowjackets begin this week all alone in third place, just half a game behind Western Washington (10-4), with a chance to overtake the Vikings and gain a first-round tournament bye. Billings was just 4-4 a month ago, but has won six of its last seven. Sophomore guard Bobbi Knudsen is second in the GNAC scoring race at 17.3 points per game. She also hands out assists at a 3.8 clip, the No. 5 conference average, and is No. 6 in steals at 1.9. Freshman forward Janiel Olson ranks No. 5 rebounding at 8.8 per game. One of the keys for the Yellowjackets is they take care of the ball, averaging just 13.7 turnovers, a mark that is the 10^th lowest among the 281 NCAA Division II schools that play women's basketball.
 
HOW DO THEY COMPARE?
(GNAC / NWC rankings)
                                                SPU                        MSUB
Points                                     74.0 (2)                  66.0 (7)
Points allowed                     64.6 (6)                  58.2 (2)
Rebounds                              42.1 (3)                  39.2 (6)
Assists                                  17.5 (2)                  13.7 (6)
Blocks                                      3.1 (T3)                  1.9 (9)
Steals                                       7.0 (10)                  9.5 (T4)
Least turnovers                   17.5 (4)                  13.7 (1)
FG percent                            .444 (3)                  .374 (8)
3-point percent                    .341 (4)                  .329 (5)
FT percent                             .792 (1)                  .710 (6)
 
Click on this link for a complete look at GNAC statistics.
 
FALCONS REPLAY
-- Nyesha Sims posted a double-double of 21 points and 15 rebounds on, but Northwest Nazarene closed the first half with a 16-2 scoring run and stayed in front throughout the second half for an 81-77 last Thursday night in Nampa, Idaho.
-- Katie Benson pumped in 22 points on Saturday night, but Central Washington drained 12 shots from 3-point range and hung on to beat the Falcons in Nicholson Pavilion, 80-75.
 
DOUBLE-DOUBLE DELIGHTS
Sophomore  forward Katie Benson (Snohomish, Wash./Snohomish HS) came up big at Central Washington last Saturday with 22 points – just two short of her career high – and 10 rebounds. That was her third career double-double, all of them this season. Benson has recorded two of those three against the Wildcats. She had 16 points and 11 boards when the Falcons beat Central in Brougham Pavilion, 97-79, on Jan. 12.
 
WELCOME BACK, RACHEL
Junior forward Rachel Murray (Eglington, New South Wales, Australia) was back in her starting forward position last week after missing the previous week's two games with an injury. She logged 30 minutes at Northwest Nazarene on Thursday, delivering nine points, two rebounds, and two assists. The first two of those points – a jumper early in the second half – pushed her past 400 for her career.
 
Then in 27 minutes at Central Washington on Saturday, Murray tallied 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field, collected four boards and earned an assist. Her second rebound in that game was her 200^th as a Falcon. For the two games combined, Murray  hit 10 of 13, including her only 3-point try, and drained both of her free throws.
 
LIVE OR DIE FROM DOWNTOWN
The Falcons certainly have had their share of success with 3-point shooting this season, hitting at a 34.1 percent clip. That's 46 points higher than the 29.5 percent they were shooting at this same 23-game juncture in 2010-11. Sophomore guard Betsy Kingma (Bellevue, Wash./Newport HS) continues to lead the GNAC with her .447 accuracy from long range (34 of 76), and Nyesha Sims is up to No. 11 on the GNAC list at .365 (23 of 63).
 
But sometimes, it's the other side that gets hot, and that was the case last week when Northwest Nazarene and Central Washington combined to outscore SPU from behind the arc, 60-21. The Crusaders hit 8 of 16 (they were averaging just four makes per game), and Central drained 12 of 30. (The Wildcats lead the GNAC with an average of 8.5 makes per game). Meanwhile, the Falcons had trouble finding the mark, hitting 5 of 15 at NNU and just 2 of 20 at Central Washington.
 
CLIMBING THE CONFERENCE STAT LADDER
Senior guard Jordan Harazin is now in 16^th place on the GNAC career assists list with 262. She needs 10 more in the final three regular-season games (plus any postseason games) to take over a spot among the top 15.
 
Harazin is the only current Falcon who is listed among conference career leaders.
 
THERE'S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT THE 70s
The Falcons have a perfect record when they score more and a solid one when they score less. But wins seem to be toughest to come by when they score somewhere in the 70s. SPU is 6-5 when scoring between 70-79 points. When putting 80 or more on the board, the record is 5-0. The Falcons are 2-1 in the 50s, and 2-1 in the 60s.
               
That theory seems to be working both ways. Seattle Pacific is 1-3 when allowing 70-79 points and 0-3 when allowing 80 or more (including both of last week's games). The Falcons are 6-0 when yielding 59 or fewer, and 8-2 when the opponent scores in the 60s.
 
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
Here's are some of SPU's statistical highlights in the latest (Feb. 13) NCAA Division II national rankings:
Team:
--No. 3 free throw percentage (.792); No. 8 rebounding margin (+9.2), No. 10 assists per game (17.5), No. 17 field goal percentage (.444), No. 21 assist/turnover ratio (1.0), and No. 26 scoring (74.0). The Falcons are up one place in free throw shooting, up three in field goal shooting and up four in scoring from last week.
Individual:
--Jordan Harazin No. 28 assist/turnover ratio (1.85 assists for every 1 turnover).
 
Click on this link to see how SPU players, as well as GNAC players and teams stack up nationally.
  
POLLING PLACE
The first NCAA West Region rankings were released on Wednesday, and Seattle Pacific is not among the top 10 teams. As expected, UC San Diego, which was a unanimous No. 1 in this week's USA Today/ESPN coaches poll, is on top, followed by Alaska Anchorage. Barring any late-season stumbles, the Tritons will play host to the regional tournament March 9, 10 and 12.
 
The Falcons still could qualify for regionals if they win the GNAC Tournament, set for March 1-2-3 in Lacey. That tournament winner becomes the conference's automatic qualifier to the NCAAs.
               
MILESTONES IN THE MAKING       
100^th field goal – McKayla Gorman (has 99).
100^th 3-pointer – Jordan Harazin (has 93).
200^th assist – McKayla Gorman (has 193).
200^th point – Betsy Kingma (has 194).           
300^th rebound – Katie Benson (has 270).
                               
MILESTONES MADE LAST WEEK 
200^th rebound – Rachel Murray (has 202).
400^th point – Rachel Murray (has 422).
600^th point – Katie Benson (has 610).
               
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
The regular season comes to a close next week in Brougham Pavilion with visits from rival Western Washington on Thursday, Feb. 23, and from Simon Fraser on Saturday, Feb. 25, both at 7 p.m. The latter game will be Senior Night. The Falcons opened the GNAC schedule against these two teams, falling on Dec. 1 at Simon Fraser, 79-74, then winning two nights later at Western Washington, 82-66.
 
 
GNAC STANDINGS
                                               GNAC   Season
Alaska Anchorage               13-2        22-4
Western Washington          10-4        16-6
Montana State Billings        10-5        18-8
Simon Fraser                         9-5         14-8
Seattle Pacific                        9-6         15-8
Northwest Nazarene             8-6         14-8
Western Oregon                    5-9          6-18
Central Washington             4-10        7-14
Saint Martin's                         2-12        7-18
Alaska Fairbanks                  2-13        6-19