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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5 –
Northwest Nazarene at (#16) Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m. PST
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7 –
Central Washington at (#16) Seattle Pacific, 7:00 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 16th-ranked Seattle Pacific men begin Great Northwest Athletic Conference play at home this week to start a four-game stretch of games at Brougham Pavilion. The Falcons (7-2) entertain Northwest Nazarene (1-5) on Thursday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. SPU won 14 of their last 16 encounters with the Crusaders. On Saturday, Dec. 7 Central Washington and league-leading scorer Mark McLaughlin (28.0 ppg) invade Seattle for a 7 p.m. clash. The Falcons won six of the last seven meetings versus CWU, including all three last season. After this week, SPU completes its non-conference slate at home against Northwest Christian (Dec. 17) and Walla Walla (Dec. 21) before breaking for the holidays.
 
GNAC Race
The Falcons are seeking to win their fifth GNAC championship since the league was formed in 2001-02. They captured the 2010 and 2006 conference titles outright. SPU shared the 2007 GNAC crown with Seattle University and in 2002 finished in a three-way tie with Humboldt State and Western Washington.
 


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 for 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.
 
Almost 100
Fifth-year coach Ryan Looney needs one victory to become the fourth coach in SPU history to reach the 100-win mark. His 99-30 record gives Looney fewer Falcons wins than only Les Habegger (267), Ken Bone (253) and Jeff Hironaka (134). Looney will  hit the century mark faster than any other SPU coach as the current quickest was Bone who took 146 games to reach the 100-win plateau in his sixth season.
 
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 Nazarene (1-5, 0-0 GNAC)
> The Crusaders, from Nampa, Idaho, got their only win on Nov. 11 at home against Willamette (91-74).
 
> NNU's Kevin Rima ranks second among GNAC rebounders with 8.3 per game.
 
> SPU leads the series 50-22, including wins in 14 of the last 16 meetings. The Falcons swept the 2013 season series, winning 77-62 on Jan. 17 in Nampa and 63-52 on Feb. 16 in Seattle.
 
> Fifth-year SPU coach Ryan Looney has a 7-1 record against NNU.
 
Scouting Central Washington (3-2, 0-0  GNAC)
> Saturday's clash of Northwest rivals features two of the premier scorers in the GNAC. The Wildcats Mark McLaughlin leads the league at 28.0 points per game, a figure that ranks No. 3 nationally. SPU counters with David Downs whose 21.0-point scoring clip is this third best in the GNAC.
 
> Central leads the all-time series 71-48 despite losing six of the last seven meetings. SPU won all three encounters last year, capped by an 85-78 decision on Mar. 8 in Lacey, Wash. in a GNAC Tournament semifinal contest. They Falcons won last year's first matchup 88-71 on Jan. 19 in Ellensburg. They posted their biggest margin of the series with a 113-75 victory over the Wildcats on Feb. 14 in Seattle.
 
> In his fourth season at SPU, Ryan Looney has a 6-4 record against the Wildcats.
 
Recent Recap
Patrick Simon nailed a school-record 10 three-pointers and the Falcons made 19 of 24 treys as a team in a 101-96 victory over San Francisco State on Friday in the opening round of the Mac Martin Invitational in Chico, Calif. Mitch Penner came of the bench to score a career-high 22 points for SPU, which shot 65 percent (34 of 52) for the game.  On Saturday, the Falcons cooled considerably, making just 6 of 21 treys in a 73-70 loss to host Chico State. Giordano Estrada's 10 consecutive points, started by a four-point play, vaulted the Wildcats ahead of SPU, which led by as many as 11 in the first half Cory Hutsen led four double-figure scorers with 18 points for the Falcons and David Downs added 16.
 
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 21.0 points and 4.9 assists. A two-time, first-team all-conference selection, Downs ranks No. 7 among all-time Falcons with 455 career assists. His 1,321 career points place him ninth among all-time SPU scorers, just seven points behind No. 7 Dave Wortman (1,328). Downs was the Nov. 11 GNAC Player of the Week and the MVP of both the Disney Tip-Off Classic and GNAC/PacWest Challenge. He is shooting a remarkable 56.3 percent (27 of 48) 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.
 
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.
 
Ryan Looney directed Seattle Pacific into the playoffs in each of his previous four seasons as head coach. He has a 99-30 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 194-85 career record, including a 95-55 ledger in five seasons with Eastern Oregon.