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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9 --
(#6) Seattle Pacific at Montana State Billings, 6:00 p.m. PST (7 MST)
Alterowitz Gymnasium / Billings, Mont.
•Webcast & LiveStats: http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/spu.portal#
 
A three-game road trip ends on Saturday, Feb. 9 for sixth-ranked Seattle Pacific. The Falcons (16-3, 9-2 GNAC) travel to Montana for a men's basketball matchup with Montana State Billings (12-10, 5-6) at 6 p.m. Pacific Time (7 p.m. Mountain) at Alterowitz Gymnasium. Second-place SPU has had recent trouble on this trip, losing in each of the last two visits to Billings. The Falcons won this year's first meeting with an 81-56 decision over the Yellowjackets on Jan. 12 in Seattle. Saturday's game ends a three-game road stretch for SPU, which returns home to play four of its final six regular-season games at Brougham Pavilion.
 
Dynamic Defense
The SPU defense ranks No. 18 nationally, surrendering only 61.6 points per game. Last year's squad established a new school record in that category, limiting opponents to 60.7 points. The Falcons have an 8-0 record when keeping opponents under 60 points and just four teams have compiled more than 69 points. Falcons foes are shooting just 40.4 percent and none of them have reached the 50-percent plateau.
 


Court Report
SPU ranks No. 3 nationally in assist-turnover ratio at 1.55 assists-per turnover. Leading the way is sophomore guard Riley Stockton, whose 2.81 assist-turnover ratio is the nation's ninth best ... The Falcons have out-boarded all but two foes. They rank No. 7 nationally with a plus-9.9 rebounding differential ... SPU has a 15-0 record in games it led at halftime and is also 15-0 when posting a superior field goal percentage to opponents.
 
Ranking Report
Seattle Pacific dropped two spots, to No. 6, in this week's national coaches poll. Last week's No. 4 position was the Falcons highest ranking in six seasons, since the 2006-07 squad opened at No. 4 in the preseason poll. Since starting at No. 9 in this season's preseason poll, the SPU men have been in the top-10 every week except one, when they were 13th the week of Nov. 27. Two West Region opponents are listed ahead of the Falcons: No. 2 Western Washington and No. 4 Cal Poly Pomona.
 
Recent Recap
Jobi Wall and David Downs combined for 40 points and 15-for-18 shooting to lead SPU to a 90-56 victory at Simon Fraser (Jan. 31). The Falcons fell 83-76 in overtime at No. 2 Western Washington despite 20 points from Downs. SPU led late, but missed 5 of 6 free throws in the final 49 seconds of regulation, enabling WWU to rally.
 
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 at least 72 hours in advance. SPU students and staff are admitted free with i.d.
 
Next Week
The Seattle Pacific men return home for a pair of games next week. They host Central Washington on Feb. 14 and Northwest Nazarene on Feb. 16. Both games tip off at 7:30 p.m. in Brougham Pavilion as the nightcap of doubleheader with the SPU women.
 
Scouting Montana State Billings (12-10, 5-6 GNAC)
> The Yellowjackets won the 2012 GNAC Tournament championship after finishing fifth in the final regular-season standings with a 10-8 league ledger.
 
> Jarrell Crayton leads the Billings attack by scoring at a 16.2-point clip, the third-highest figure among GNAC players. The 6-foot-7 senior forward, a transfer from Boise State, also tops MSUB with 7.4 rebounds per game.
 
> The Falcons lead the all-time series by a slim 33-29 margin. The Yellowjackets won two straight meetings, both of them in Billings, before SPU won 81-56 on Jan. 12 in Seattle in the most recent clash.
 
> Jamie Stevens is in his second year as head coach at MSUB after serving the previous four years at Central Wyoming College. Stevens played for the Yellowjackets and compiled a school-record 805 assists during his career from 1994-99.
 
> Fourth-year SPU coach Ryan Looney has a 5-2 record against MSU Billings.
 
Falcons Fast Fact
As a prep pitcher at Faith Christian Academy, SPU senior forward Jobi Wall tossed a perfect game and hit for the cycle in a five-inning contest during the 2008 Colorado state Class 3A playoffs.
 
Famous Uncle
SPU sophomore starting 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). Riley Stockton prepped at Ferris High School in Spokane, Wash.
 
Prolific Passers
The Falcons rank No. 8 nationally with 18.9 assists per game. That figure is all the more remarkable considering they rank 57th in scoring at 76.5 points per game. SPU registered assists on 24 of 26 baskets in an 85-79 victory at Alaska Anchorage (Dec. 1). Junior point guard David Downs leads the GNAC and ranks 13th nationally with 5.8 assists per game. For the season, SPU's 70-percent rate of assisted field goals (360 of 513) is significantly higher than last year's final figure of 64 percent.
 
All-GNAC Talent
Fourth-year coach Ryan Looney returns four starters from last season's 23-8 squad that made its eighth straight playoff appearance. Heading the list of returnees are 2012 All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference selections David Downs and Andy Poling. Downs (6-2, Jr., PG) is the top returning scorer in the GNAC who led SPU with 15.6 points per game. Poling (6-11, Sr., C) transferred from Gonzaga prior to the 2010-11 season. He is the league's leading returning rebounder with 7.4 rebounds per game in 2012 while scoring at a 15.4-point clip. Those two are joined on this year's preseason All-GNAC team by Jobi Wall and newcomer Patrick Simon. Wall (6-6, Sr., F) averaged 11.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game last season. Simon (6-8, Jr., F) is a transfer from Washington State who averaged 2.6 points in limited duty last year.
 
Terrific Transfers
The Falcons roster is bolstered by the addition of NCAA Division I transfers Shawn Reid and Patrick Simon. A 6-foot-4 junior forward, Reid was the second-leading scorer at Montana State, averaging 10.6 points and 3.3 rebounds in 2012. He started 10 games, including a Feb. 15 contest against Weber State during which he made five 3-pointers en route to a career-high 31-point performance. Reid participated in the last four games after being sidelined with an injured hand. Simon is a 6-8 junior forward who played two seasons at Washington State. He averaged 2.6 points in limited duty for the Cougars, getting 15 of his 22 baskets from 3-point range.
 
Looney's Ledger
Ryan Looney is in his fourth season after directing Seattle Pacific to postseason berths in each of his first three campaigns. He has an 81-27 record at SPU. The Falcons registered a 23-8 record last year and finished third in the GNAC with a 13-5 mark. They won two playoff games and advanced to the West Region final before losing 56-50 to eventual national champion Western Washington. 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, 37, has a 176-82 career record, including a 95-55 ledger in five seasons with Eastern Oregon. He directed EOU to back-to-back NAIA Tournament appearances in 2008 and 2009.
 
Eight Great Years
Seattle Pacific boasts the longest current playoff streak among NCAA Division II men's basketball programs, a stretch of eight years that dates to 2005. The Falcons posted a 169-67 record over those previous eight seasons, more victories than any GNAC 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, 20-10 in 2011 and 23-8 last season. The 169 combined wins are the second-highest eight-year total in school history, topped only by a 174-win run from 1995 to 2002. The Falcons advanced to the national semifinals in 2006.
 
GNAC Coaches Poll
Seattle Pacific, which returns four starters from a team that advanced to the 2012 West Region final, was selected as the favorite to capture the Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball championship by the preseason coaches' poll. In addition, SPU placed a league-high four players on the 15-man preseason all-conference team. The Falcons collected eight of 10 first-place votes en route to a 97-point total. Defending national champion Western Washington was projected to place second, receiving the remaining two first-place votes for 90 points. Among the Falcons four individuals honored were unanimous preseason picks David Downs and Andy Poling, who were all-conference team members in 2012. They are joined on this year's early GNAC squad by Jobi Wall and newcomer Patrick Simon.