• Complete Release (pdf)
     • VIDEO: Coach Ryan Looney
     • GNAC Tournament webpage

2013 GNAC MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
Marcus Pavilion / Lacey, Wash.

•Webcasts & LiveStats for all games:  
http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/gnac.portal#
 
THURSDAY, MARCH 7 (QUARTERFINALS)
Game 1 – (#6) Central Washington 79,  (#3) Alaska Anchorage 78
Game 2 – (#4) Alaska Fairbank 87,  (#5) Montana State Billings 73

FRIDAY, MARCH 8 (SEMIFINALS)
Game 3 – (#6) Central Washington vs. (#2) Seattle Pacific, 5:15 pm
Game 4 – (#4) Alaska Fairbanks vs. (#1) Western Washington, 7:30 pm
 
SATURDAY, MARCH 9 (CHAMPIONSHIP)
Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 7:30 pm -- ROOT Sports TV
 
Post-season play begins on Friday, Mar. 8 for third-ranked Seattle Pacific, which brings the league's longest current winning streak of seven games into the 2013 GNAC Tournament. The Falcons (23-3) are the No. 2 seed for the six-team tournament at Marcus Pavilion in Lacey, Wash.  They have a semifinal matchup on Friday at 5:15 p.m. against No. 6 seed Central Washington (15-12). The Wildcats beat No. 3 Alaska Anchorage 79-78 on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Mark McLaughlin in Thursday's quarterfinals. The other quarterfinal pairing has No. 4 Alaska Fairbanks (15-11) playing No. 5 Montana State Billings (16-13) on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. for the right to meet top-seed Western Washington (26-1) in Friday's 7:30 p.m. semifinal. Saturday's GNAC men's title game will be televised live at 7:30 p.m. on ROOT Sports. The champion receives the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Division II Tournament.
 
Tournament Tickets
GNAC Tournament tickets can be purchased on gameday at Marcus Pavilion on the Saint Martin's University campus. Single-session prices are $15 for reserved seats, $10 for adult general admission and $6 for general admission students with ID and seniors. All-tournament tickets at the door are $55 for reserved, $40 for adult general admission and $20 for student and seniors general admission.
 


SPU at GNACs
The Falcons have a 1-2 record in GNAC Tournament play. In the inaugural 2011 tournament, they were seeded third and opened with a 69-65 win over No. 6 seed Western Oregon in Seattle before losing 72-67 at No. 2 seed Alaska Anchorage in the semifinals. Last year, third-seeded SPU lost 70-69 to No. 6 seed Central Washington in Lacey, Wash.
 
Ranking Report
Seattle Pacific climbed one spot into the No. 3 position in the NCAA Division II coaches poll that was released Tuesday, the highest ranking in the school's 70-year history of men's basketball. The Falcons, who were fourth last week, have been ranked in the top-10 for all but one week this season. That No. 4 poll position matched the 1994 and 2007 teams for what was previously the highest ranking in school history.
 
Court Report
At 23-3, SPU posted the finest regular-season winning percentage in school history at 88.5% ... David Downs ranks ninth among all-time Falcons with 374 career assists ... Among Division II teams, SPU ranks 4th in assist/turnover ratio (1.51), 5th in rebound margin (+10.6), 6th in scoring margin (+14.3) and 14th in assists (17.2).
 
Dynamic Defense
The SPU defense ranks No. 21 nationally, surrendering 61.9 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 11-0 record when keeping opponents under 60 points and just six teams have compiled more than 69 points. Falcons foes are shooting only 40.3 percent and none of them have reached the 50-percent plateau in a game.
 
Postseason Pursuit
Seattle Pacific is in pursuit of its ninth straight NCAA Division II Tournament berth. The Falcons were postseason participants every year since 2005, the longest consecutive playoff streak in school history. The current run of eight straight playoff berths is the longest current streak among Division II men's basketball teams. The Falcons advanced to the national semifinals in both 2000 and 2006, placing third both times.
 
20-Game Winners
The Falcons have reached the 20-win plateau for the fourth consecutive season, equaling the school record streak accomplished once before, from 1999 to 2001. They have hit the 20-win plateau 21 times overall.
 
Scouting Central Washington (14-12, 8-10  GNAC)
> Something's gotta give Friday if the league's most prolific offense that ranks No. 8 nationally (Central at 85.2 points per game) meets its stingiest defense that ranks No. 21 in the nation (SPU at 61.9 ppg allowed). That's a 23.3-point differential between what CWU scores and the Falcons surrender.
 
> The Wildcats feature the league's leading scorer in Mark McLaughlin. His 22.4-point average ranks No. 11 nationally.
 
> Central leads the all-time series 71-47 despite losing five of the last six meetings. SPU won this year's first matchup 88-71 on Jan. 19 in Ellensburg. The Falcons posted their biggest margin of the series with a 113-75 victory on Feb. 14 in Seattle.
 
> The Wildcats won 70-69 in the first round the 2012 GNAC Tournament in Lacey, stopping SPU's three-game winning streak, their longest in the series since 2003.
 
> In his fourth season at SPU, Ryan Looney has a 5-4 record against the Wildcats.
 
Defender of the Year
Riley Stockton was voted the Defensive Player of the Year and his SPU teammate David Downs was the only repeat first-team, all-league selection when the 2013 GNAC men's basketball awards were announced Monday. The Falcons also placed Jobi Wall and Patrick Simon on the All-GNAC second team, while Andy Poling and Stockton were honorable mention selections. In addition to helping hold SPU opponents to a GNAC-leading 61.9 points per game, Stockton topped the conference in rebounding (7.6) and ranked seventh in assists (3.8). Downs was one of only two unanimous All-GNAC honorees along with Player of the Year award winner John Allen of Western Washington. He is SPU's second-leading scorer, ranking 11th in the conference with 14.0 points per game. A junior point guard, Downs ranks second among GNAC players with 133 (5.1 assists per game). He is listed ninth among all-time SPU playmakers with 374 career assists.
 
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. He led all SPU players in rebounds 19 times, including a career-high 15-board performance at Saint Martin's on Feb. 21.
 
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.
 
Prolific Passers
The Falcons rank No. 14 nationally with 17.2 assists per game. That figure is all the more remarkable considering they rank just 64th in scoring at 76.2 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 is second in the GNAC and 27th nationally with 5.1 assists per game (133 total).
 
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 88-27 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 183-82 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.