• Complete Release (pdf)
 
   2013 GNAC MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
    Marcus Pavilion / Lacey, Wash.       (seeds listed in parenthesis)
   •Webcast & LiveStats: http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/gnac.portal#
 
   Thursday, March 7 (Quarterfinals)
    (#6) Central Washington 79, (#3) Alaska Anchorage 78
    (#4) Alaska Fairbanks 87, (#5) Montana State Billings 73
 
   Friday, March 8 (Semifinals)
    (#2) Seattle Pacific 85, (#6) Central Washington 78
    (#1) Western Washington 61, (#4) Alaska Fairbanks 43
 
   Saturday, March 9 (Championship)
   (#2) Seattle Pacific vs. (#1) Western Washington, 7:30 pm -- ROOT Sports TV
 
With the GNAC Tournament championship on the line, third-ranked Seattle Pacific clashes with No. 2 Western Washington for the third time this season. The second-seeded Falcons (24-3) and top-seed WWU (27-1) meet on Saturday, Mar. 9 at Marcus Pavilion in Lacey, Wash. Tip-off is 7:30 p.m. for the game that will be televised live on ROOT Sports. SPU beat Central Washington 85-78 in Friday's semifinals while the Vikings advanced by virtue of a 61-43 win over Alaska Fairbanks. One streak will be stopped Saturday. The Falcons' eight-game win streak is currently the league's longest, but they have lost their last five encounters with Western, including two regular-season meetings this year. Neither SPU, nor WWU have won the title in the three-year history of the GNAC Tournament. The champion earns the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Division II Tournament.
 
Pacific Northwest Powers
Saturday's encounter is a rematch of last season's NCAA West Regional championship game in Bellingham on Mar. 12. The Vikings beat SPU 56-50 to earn a trip to the Elite Eight. They won their next three playoff contests, capped by a 72-65 victory over Montevallo in the national championship game. The SPU men also possess an impressive postseason pedigree. They participated in the last eight NCAA Tournaments, dating to 2005, the longest current playoff streak among Division II competitors. The Falcons advanced to the Final Four in 2000 and 2006, finishing third both times.
 
Something's Gotta Give
Saturday's GNAC championship battle of Northwest rivals features a stark contrast in styles. There is a 21.8-point difference between what the Vikings score and SPU allows. Western ranks ninth nationally with an offense that produces 84.3 points per game. The Falcons counter with the nation's No. 21 defense that surrenders an average of just 62.5 points to opponents. Both teams rank among the national leaders in scoring differential. WWU is fifth at plus-17.4 and SPU is sixth at plus-14.0.
 
SPU at GNACs
Friday's 85-78 semifinal victory over Central Washington evened the Falcons all-time GNAC Tournament record at 2-2. 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 rose 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
SPU finished with its finest regular-season winning percentage in school history at 88.5% (23-3) ... David Downs ranks ninth among all-time Falcons with 385 career assists ... Among Division II teams, SPU ranks 4th in assist/turnover ratio (1.52), 5th in rebound margin (+10.5), 6th in scoring margin (+14.0) and 14th in assists (17.2) ... On Friday, Central Washington shot 53 percent to become the first opponent this year to shoot 50 percent against the Falcons.
 
Scouting Western Washington (27-1)
> The second-ranked Vikings' lone loss was a 77-73 setback at Alaska Fairbanks on Feb. 21 that halted their school-record 30-game winning streak.
 
> Saturday's encounter is a rematch of last season's NCAA West Regional championship game in Bellingham. The Vikings beat SPU 56-50 to earn a trip to the Elite Eight. They won their next three playoff contests, capped by a 72-65 victory over Montevallo in the national championship game.
 
> The Falcons own a 76-49 series advantage and had won 12 of 13 meetings before losing the last five meetings with WWU.
 
> The Vikings won this season's two regular-season contests, a 66-56 decision on Jan. 3 in Seattle and an 83-76 overtime decision on Feb. 2 in Bellingham. SPU missed eight straight free throws in the final 8:48 before Alex Weber-Brader made the second of two charity shots with 3.5 seconds left in regulation to force overtime.
 
> Western is coached for the first season by Tony Dominguez, who served as an assistant coach on the staff for the last 17 years. He replaced 27-year coach Brad Jackson who is now an assistant at Washington. Dominguez is 2-0 vs. SPU.
 
> In his fourth season at SPU, Ryan Looney has a 4-5 record against the Vikings.
 
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.
 
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 62.5 points per game, Stockton tops the conference in rebounding (7.6) and ranks seventh in assists (3.6). 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 14.1 points per game. A junior point guard, Downs ranks second among GNAC players with 144 (5.3 assists per game). He is listed ninth among all-time SPU playmakers with 385 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 20 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 76.5 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 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 89-27 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 184-82 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.
 
Postseason Pursuit
Seattle Pacific is in pursuit of its ninth straight NCAA 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.