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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17 –
Northwest Christian at (#14) Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m. PST
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21 –
Walla Walla at (#14) Seattle Pacific, 5:00 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
 
The 14th-ranked Falcons focus on the hardwood not the holidays this week as they host a pair of non-conference men's basketball games against NAIA competitors. Seattle Pacific (9-2) entertains Northwest Christian University (7-3) from Eugene, Ore. on Tuesday, Dec. 17. Tip-off is 7 p.m. at Brougham Pavilion. The Beacons are coached by former Oregon standout Luke Jackson. On Saturday, Dec. 21 the Falcons meet Walla Walla University (0-13) for a 5 p.m. game that is the nightcap of a doubleheader with the SPU women who play at 2:30 p.m. The Wolves features 7-foot center Dusan Sparavalo, their leading scorer and rebounder. After this week's games the SPU men can turn their attention to Christmas as they take a week off from practice. That break extends an additional week off from competition before the Falcons return to action on Jan. 2 at Western Oregon.
 
Ticket Talk
Individual game tickets can be purchased at Brougham Pavilion (3414 Third Ave. W., Seattle 98119) on game day. Ticket windows open one hour before tip-off. 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. Groups or teams of 10 or more may qualify for special GA rates by calling (206) 281-2085.
 


100 & Counting
 
Senior Sharpshooter
Patrick Simon compiled 30 of his career-high 33 points with a school-record 10 three-pointers on Nov. 29 against San Francisco State. His 10 treys eclipsed the SPU single-game record of nine held by three former Falcons: Drake Hudgins (2000), Dustin Bremerman (2006) and Marques Echols (2008). Led by Simon's 10-for-12 performance behind the arc, the Falcons combined to make a remarkable 19 of 24 three-pointers as a team. The 6-foot-8 forward is a second-year transfer from Washington State.
 
Falcons Fast Facts
SPU owns the longest current playoff streak among NCAA Division II men's basketball teams at nine years ... Seven returning Falcons already reached their single-game scoring high this year: David Downs (34), Patrick Simon (33), Cory Hutsen (24), Mitch Penner (22), Riley Stockton (15), Brendan Carroll (12) and Ryan Todd (6) ... SPU was selected No. 1 in the Sporting News preseason magazine's national rankings.
 
Scouting Northwest Christian (7-3)
> Northwest Christian is an NAIA Division 2 member school from Eugene, Ore. that competes in the Cascade Collegiate Conference.
 
> The Beacons improved their record to 7-3 with a 73-57 home victory over Linfield on Dec. 14 in their last outing. Colston Baker led them with 28 points.
 
> NCU features a pair of 20-point scorers in Spencer Coleman (20.7 ppg) and Austin Kuemper (20.3). Both are NCAA Division I transfers, Coleman from Montana and Kuemper from Oregon.
 
> The Beacons are led by first-year coach Luke Jackson, a All-American at Oregon who is the Ducks' second-highest all-time scorer. Jackson was the 10th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
 
Scouting Walla Walla University (0-13)
> Walla Walla (Wash.) University competes as an independent member of the NAIA Division 2.

> The Wolves are winless in 13 games, having been outscored by an average of 31.6 points per game. Their closest contest was a 76-67 neutral-site loss against Eastern Oregon on Nov. 15.

> WWU is led by the 10.2 points and 6.2 rebounds of 7-foot center Dusan Sparavalo.
 
Recent Recap
The Falcons opened GNAC play at home and swept a pair of games to forge a first-place tie atop the standings with Western Washington.  Mitch Penner scored 13 of his 17 points during the second half on Dec. 5 as SPU rallied for a 73-54 win over Northwest Nazarene. That gave Coach Ryan Looney his 100th SPU victory. The Falcons trailed by as many as 10 points late in the first half before sandwiching a 15-2 run around halftime to take the lead for good. David Downs amassed 26 points in just 24 minutes to lead the SPU to an 80-67 victory over Central Washington on Dec. 7. He converted 8 of 13 shots form the field and was 4 of 6 on 3-pointers.
 
Dynamic Downs
 
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.
 
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.
 
Looney's Ledger
Ryan Looney directed Seattle Pacific into the playoffs in each of his previous four seasons as head coach. He has a 101-30 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 196-85 career record, including a 95-55 ledger in five seasons with Eastern Oregon.