• Complete Release (pdf)
      • VIDEO: Coach Ryan Looney

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9 --
Northwest Nazarene at Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m. PST
Brougham Pavilion • Seattle, Wash.
• Webcast: www.PennAtlantic.com  
• LiveStats: www.sidearmstats.com/spu/mbball

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11 --
Central Washington at Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m. PST
Brougham Pavilion • Seattle, Wash.
• Webcast: www.PennAtlantic.com  
• LiveStats: www.sidearmstats.com/spu/mbball

The Seattle Pacific men (17-5, 9-4 GNAC) open a three-game homestand this week to conclude their 2012 Brougham Pavilion schedule. They host Northwest Nazarene (11-9, 5-7) on Thursday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. The Falcons won 11 of the last 13 meetings against the Crusaders. On Saturday, Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. SPU entertains Central Washington (10-10, 4-8). The Falcons won this year's first meeting 76-49 to forge their first two-game series win streak since 2005-06. SPU has not won three straight over the Wildcats since 2002-03.

Ticket Talk
Tickets to 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 & senior citizens. Groups or teams of 10 or more may qualify for special GA rates by calling (206) 281-2085 in advance.

Dynamic Defense
SPU's defense ranks No. 5 nationally by surrendering 58.2 points per game, over three 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. The Falcons have a 14-0 record when keeping opponents under 60 points. SPU is holding opponents to 38.6-percent shooting (No. 9 nationally). BYU-Hawaii (Dec. 10) and Alaska Anchorage (Feb. 2) are the only teams to shoot 50 percent against SPU. The Falcons held five foes under 50 points. Along with scoring and field goal defense, SPU also leads the league in rebound margin at + 9.0 (5th NCAA).



GNAC Tournament
For the second season, the Great Northwest Athletic Conference is sponsoring a postseason tournament with the winner receiving the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Division II playoffs. The top six finishers from the regular-season standings compete in the conference tournament with the top two receiving first-round byes. All games will be played at Marcus Pavilion on the Saint Martin's campus. The quarterfinal games are Feb. 29 with the semifinals set for Mar. 2 and the championship game on Mar. 3.

Notable
The Falcons outrebounded each of their last 12 opponents (479-302 combined), including a 61-24 margin over Fairbanks (Jan. 5) and 54-19 at CWU (Jan. 12).

Recent Recap
Jobi Wall and David Downs combined for 46 points with 33 of them coming via the 3-pointer as SPU shot down Alaska Fairbanks 79-53 on Feb. 4. Wall had 25 points and Downs chipped in 21. On Feb. 2, Downs had 22 points and seven assists in a 78-69 loss at 21st-ranked Alaska Anchorage. 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).

Next Week
SPU plays its final home game, hosting Montana State Billings on Feb. 18 at Brougham Pavilion. The Falcons three seniors will be honored before the 7 p.m. game.

Scouting Northwest Nazarene (11-9, 6-7 GNAC)
> The Crusaders, from Nampa, Idaho, are led by the potent scoring duo of JB Pillard (15.2 ppg) and Anthony Golden (14.9 ppg).

> NNU leads the GNAC in free throw accuracy (77.6%) and SPU is last (66.9%).

> SPU leads the series 47-22, including wins in 11 of the last 13 meetings. The Falcons won this year's first encounter 71-66 on Jan. 14 in Nampa.

> 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 4-1 record against NNU.

Scouting Central Washington (10-10, 4-8  GNAC)
> The defending GNAC champion Wildcats lost their last two games.

> Something's gotta give Saturday when the league's second-highest scoring team (CWU at 82.7 points per game) meets its best defense (SPU at 58.2 ppg allowed.)

 > Central features a balanced attack with five double-figure scorers, led by the 14.8-point average of Lacy Haddock.

> The Wildcats lead the all-time series 70-44 and won nine of the last 13 meetings against SPU.

> The Falcons won the last two meetings, including a 76-49 rout on Jan. 12 in Ellensburg that was their second-large margin of victory ever against CWU. SPU upset the fifth-ranked and top-seeded Wildcats 76-63 on Mar. 11 in the first round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament.

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

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. Alaska Anchorage also got four first-place votes and was picked first. Western Washington was selected third, garnering the two remaining first-place votes. SPU is aiming for its fifth GNAC title since the league was formed in 2001-02.

Famous Uncle
SPU freshman Riley Stockton is the nephew of NBA Hall of Fame point guard John Stockton, who distributed a record 15,806 assists during his 19-season career with the Utah Jazz (1984-2003). Riley Stockton prepped at Ferris High School in Spokane, Wash.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 59-21 (.738). 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 154-76 (.670) 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.