• Complete Release (pdf)      |      • VIDEO: Mitch Penner

GNAC/PacWest Challenge
Nicholson Pavilion / Ellensburg, Wash.
 
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22 –
(#9) Seattle Pacific vs. BYU-Hawaii, 8:00 p.m. PST
 
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23 –
(#9) Seattle Pacific vs. Hawaii Pacific, 2:00 p.m. PST
 
• Webcast & LiveStats for both games:
http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/spu.portal#

Ninth-ranked Seattle Pacific begins a four-game road swing with a trip to Ellensburg, Wash. for a pair of non-conference men's basketball games at the GNAC/PacWest Challenge. The four-team tournament, hosted by Central Washington at Nicholson Pavilion, has pre-set matchups. The Falcons (4-1) meet BYU Hawaii (1-0) on Friday, Nov. 22 at 8 p.m. They won the last three encounters against the Seasiders. On Saturday, Nov. 23 at 2 p.m. SPU clashes with Hawaii Pacific (1-0). The Falcons were victorious in the last seven matchups with the Sea Warriors. CWU plays the same two opponents in reverse order. The SPU men are on the road for two weeks, including a Thanksgiving weekend tournament in Chico, Calif. before returning to Brougham Pavilion for the Great Northwest Athletic Conference openers. They host Northwest Nazarene on Dec. 5 and Central Washington on Dec. 7.
 
Falcons Fast Facts
SPU owns the longest current playoff streak among NCAA Division II men's basketball teams at nine years ... Junior center Cory Hutsen poured in a career-high 24 points in Friday's win over Colorado Christian ... The Falcons were selected No. 1 in the Sporting News preseason magazine's national rankings of Division II teams ... SPU won all four games when registering a higher shooting percentage than its opponent.
 


Dynamic Downs
Senior David Downs is a preseason All-American and was voted the GNAC Preseason Player of the Year by the league's coaches. The 6-foot-2 point guard is averaging a team-high 23.6 points and 5.0 assists. A two-time, first-team all-conference selection, Downs ranks No. 7 among all-time Falcons with 436 career assists. His 1,250 career points place him 11th among all-time SPU scorers, just 33 points behind No. 10 Tony Binetti (1,283). Downs was the Nov. 11 GNAC Player of the Week and the MVP of the 2013 Disney Tip-Off Classic. He is shooting a remarkable 65 percent (17 of 26) from 3-point range. Downs (Bellevue, Wash./Bellevue Christian HS) was a Division II Bulletin honorable mention All-America selection last year and was the MVP of the 2013 GNAC Tournament after leading SPU to the championship.
 
Super Simon
Senior sharpshooter Patrick Simon leads the Falcons in field goal accuracy at 57.8 percent (26 of 45), including 48 percent from 3-point range (12 of 25). The 6-foot-8 forward tied his career-high scoring output with a 30-point performance against Colorado Christian (Nov. 15) that featured 11-for-15 shooting from the floor and 4 of 6 on treys. Simon is in his second season at SPU after transferring from Washington State.
 
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.
 
Recent Recap
Patrick Simon tied his career high with 30 points, leading the Falcons past Colorado Christian 94-78 (Nov. 15) on the opening night of the Sodexo Tip-Off Classic. He drained 11 of 15 shots from the field, including 4 of 6 from 3-point territory. SPU's perfect 4-0 record was spoiled the next day. A career night for David Downs went for naught as his lay-up attempt at the buzzer slid off the backboard, allowing Dixie State (Nov. 16) to escape with a 90-88 overtime upset of SPU. Downs poured in a career-best 34 points and Cory Hutsen maneuvered inside for a career-high 24 for the Falcons, who fell to 4-1. Tournament MVP DeQuan Thompson led the Red Storm with 21 points, including three vital free throws during the extra period. Dixie's Kimball Payne dribbled the length of the court to tie the game at the regulation buzzer.
 
Scouting BYU-Hawaii (1-0 pending Nov. 19 game at Western Washington)
> The Seasiders were projected third in the preseason PacWest coaches poll.
 
> BYUH features 6-foot-10 senior center DeAndre Medlock, who was named to the preseason All-PacWest squad. He finished 2013 as the nation's fifth best field goal shooter at 64.1 percent while averaging 13.7 points and 4.3 rebounds.
 
> The Seasiders won their season opener 105-64 over Western State.
 
> The Falcons won the last three meetings to take an 11-1 series advantage. They won 71-54 at BYUH on Nov. 17, 2012 in the last meeting.
 
> In his fifth season at SPU, Coach Ryan Looney has a 4-1 record vs. the Seasiders.
 
Scouting Hawaii Pacific (1-0)
> The Sea Warriors were selected seventh in the preseason PacWest coaches poll.
 
> HPU won its season opener 75-65 over Western State.
 
> The Sea Warriors' roster underwent a major overhaul as just three players who saw time last season are still active. Third-team All-PacWest honoree Malte Ziegenhagen, a 6-foot-4 junior forward, averaged 14.8 points last year.
 
> The Falcons won the last seven meetings to take a 7-2 series lead over HPU. The most recent encounter resulted in a 73-53 SPU win on Nov. 16, 2012 in Laie, Hi.
 
> Fifth-year SPU coach Ryan Looney has a 2-0 record against the Sea Warriors.
 
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.
 
Dynamic Defense
The SPU defense ranked No. 18 nationally last year, surrendering just 62.4 points per game. Two years ago, the 2012 squad established a school record in that category, limiting opponents to 60.7 points. Falcons foes shot 41.5 percent and just three of them reached the 50-percent plateau in a game last season.
 
Looney's Ledger
Ryan Looney directed Seattle Pacific into the playoffs in each of his four seasons as head coach. He has a 96-29 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 191-84 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.