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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 15 --
Central Washington vs. Dixie State, 3:00 p.m. PST
Colorado Christian vs. (#2) Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m. PST
 
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16 --
Central Washington vs. Colorado Christian, 3:00 p.m. PST
Dixie State vs. (#2) Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m. PST
 
This weekend marks the basketball home openers for the second-ranked Seattle Pacific men, who have had a hectic road schedule. The Falcons (3-0) host the four-team Sodexo Tip-Off Classic at Brougham Pavilion on Friday, Nov. 15 and Saturday, Nov. 16. Men's basketball doubleheaders take place both days with the SPU men playing the 7 p.m. nightcap, against Colorado Christian (0-0) on Friday and Dixie State (1-0) on Saturday. Central Washington (0-0) plays the 3 p.m. opener both days against those same two opponents in reverse order of the Falcons. The SPU women are hosting a tournament the same days with games at 1:00 and 5:00 p.m. This is the second of four regular-season tournaments for the Falcons men, the only one in Seattle. They won three games last week at the Disney Classic in Anaheim. SPU will play in the GNAC/PacWest Challenge in Ellensburg on No. 22-23 and the Mac Martin Invitational in Chico, Calif. on Nov. 29-30.
 
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.
 
Player of the Week
Seattle Pacific senior David Downs, who averaged 25 points on spectacular shooting during three season-opening victories, received the GNAC men's basketball Player of the Week award on Monday. Downs was named the Most Valuable Player of the Disney Tip-Off Classic in Anaheim, Calif. after amassing 75 points on 62-percent (18 of 29) shooting from the field for the second-ranked Falcons (3-0). He made a remarkable 77 percent of his 3-point shots, hitting 13 of 17 attempts from beyond the arc. The 6-foot-2 point guard converted 26 of 29 free throws, distributed 11 assists and grabbed seven rebounds. Downs topped all SPU scorers in each of the three games. He tallied 23 points in Friday's 79-65 win over Cal State Dominguez Hills and had 29 in a 72-58 victory over Lindenwood on Saturday. The Falcons capped the three-day tournament on Sunday with a 65-55 decision over Texas A&M International and Downs made all five of his treys en route to 23 points. Downs is the GNAC Preseason Player of the Year.
 


Falcons Fast Facts
The Falcons were selected No. 1 in the Sporting News preseason magazine's national rankings of Division II teams ... SPU owns the longest current playoff streak among NCAA Division II men's basketball teams at nine years ... At 6-foot-4, SPU's Riley Stockton last year became the shortest player to lead the GNAC in rebounding with 7.5 boards per game. He received the 2013 GNAC Defensive Player of the Year award.
 
Scouting Colorado Christian (0-0)
> The Cougars are NCAA Division II members of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
 
> Michael Brown led Colorado Christian in scoring last year with a 13.7-point average. He had 17 points and made 4 of 5 treys Tuesday in a 98-74 exhibition loss at Division I Northern Colorado.
 
> The series is tied after CCU won the most recent meeting 73-69 on Dec. 30, 2009 at Brougham Pavilion. Jobi Wall paced the Cougars with 28 points and 13 rebounds. Wall later transferred to SPU and had a great career that ended last season. He led the nation in 3-point accuracy last year at 48.9 percent.
 
> In the first meeting, SPU set the school single-game scoring record in a 128-68 victory over Colorado Christian on Nov. 27, 1998 in Bellingham, Wash.
 
> Fifth-year SPU coach Ryan Looney has an 0-1 record against the Cougars.
 
Scouting Dixie State (1-0)
> The Red Storm are members of the Pacific West Conference.
 
> Dixie defeated Colorado Mesa 85-81 at home on Nov. 8 in its only outing to date. Five players tallied double figures led by the 17 points of Louis Garrett and Zach Robbins, who also grabbed 12 rebounds.
 
> SPU leads the all-time series 4-2. The Falcons defeated Dixie 70-68 in the most recent meeting on Mar. 9, 2012 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Bellingham, Wash. SPU also won a 58-42 decision on Nov. 11, 2011 in St. George, Utah in that year's season opener.
 
> The Red Storm swept a pair of games in 2010-11, winning 68-61 in Seattle on Nov. 20, 2010 and then eliminating SPU from the 2011 NCAA Tournament with a 75-73 decision on Mar. 12, 2011 in Ellensburg, Wash. in the West Regional semifinal.
 
> The Falcons won the first two encounters, defeating Dixie 82-76 on Dec. 20, 2006 in Utah and 71-67 on Dec. 30, 2006 in Seattle.
 
> Fifth-year SPU coach Ryan Looney has a 2-2 record against the Red Storm.
 
Exhibition Recap
The Falcons drew a split of their two exhibition games. They defeated Concordia (Ore.) 92-71 at home on Oct. 29 behind 13-for-21 team shooting on 3-pointers and 24 points from Cory Hutsen. On Nov. 2 at Division I Stanford, Division II SPU was within one point, at 44-43, with 16:44 to play. But the Cardinal tallied the next five points and later used a 24-4 game-closing run to win 89-61. Chasson Randle amassed 37 points and shot 13 of 16 for Stanford. David Downs paced the Falcons with 20 points.
 
2014 Preview
Fifth-year coach Ryan Looney has six of his top seven scorers back from last season's 24-7 squad that made its ninth straight playoff appearance. An impressive trio of returning starters is headlined by point guard David Downs, a preseason All-American who was picked as the Preseason Player of the Year by the GNAC coaches. The 6-foot-2 senior received the 2013 GNAC Tournament MVP award after leading SPU to the championship. Downs was the Falcons second-leading scorer with 14.2 points per game and led all GNAC playmakers with 170 assists (5.5 per game). Also back is senior Patrick Simon, a second-team all-conference forward, and junior guard Riley Stockton (Spokane, Wash./Ferris HS), an honorable mention pick. Simon scored at a 13.4-point clip and made 66 treys while shooting 46 percent from 3-point range. Stockton led the league with 7.5 rebounds per game and was named the 2013 GNAC Defensive Player of the Year. Six other lettermen return, led by Cory Hutsen (6-8, Jr.) who takes over the starting center post after averaging 9.2 points as the backup. An impressive cast of newcomers includes Division I transfers Matt Borton (6-5, Jr., G, Idaho) and Jake Ehlers (6-7, So., F, Portland) along with 6-8 freshman center Joe Rasmussen, whose father Blair had a eight-year NBA career in Denver and Atlanta. SPU must fill voids left by starters Jobi Wall and Andy Poling. Wall, a forward, led the Falcons in scoring (14.3 ppg) and topped the nation in 3-point field goal accuracy at 48.9 percent. Poling averaged 10.1 points and 3.9 rebounds from his center position.
 
Famous Uncle
Junior guard 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). The 2013 GNAC Defensive Player of the Year, Riley Stockton prepped at Ferris High School in Spokane, Wash. The 6-foot-4 guard last year became the shortest player to lead the GNAC in rebounding at 7.5 boards per game.
 
Looney's Ledger
Ryan Looney directed Seattle Pacific into the playoffs in each of his four seasons as head coach. He has a 95-28 record at SPU. The Falcons registered a 27-4 record last year, equaling the school standard for single-season victories while establishing the best winning percentage (87.1%) in the 70-year history of the program. They won the 2013 GNAC Tournament title after placing second in the standings with a 16-2 conference record. SPU won two playoff games before losing 62-58 at Western Washington in the West Region championship game. In 2012, the Falcons compiled a 23-8 record and lost 56-50 to eventual national champion WWU in the regional final. 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, 38, has a 190-83 career record, including a 95-55 ledger in five seasons with Eastern Oregon.
 
Ticket Talk
Season tickets for SPU basketball games are currently available. They are a tremendous value and assure a seat in the best location for every home game. Season tickets can be obtained by calling 206-281-2085. Individual game tickets for SPU men's basketball games can be purchased at Brougham Pavilion (3414 Third Ave. W., Seattle 98119) on game day. Reserved seats for Falcon men's basketball 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.