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THURSDAY, JANUARY 9 –
Alaska Fairbanks at Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m. PST
Brougham Pavilion • Seattle, Wash.
 
SATURDAY, JANUARY 11 –
Alaska Anchorage at 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 Seattle Pacific men host their first basketball home games of the 2014 calendar year when their Great Northwest Athletic Conference rivals from Alaska invade Brougham Pavilion this week. The fifth-place Falcons (11-4, 2-2 GNAC) seek to gain ground on their neighbors to the north, who are tied for third place in the standings. SPU entertains Alaska Fairbanks (7-4, 2-1) on Thursday, Jan. 9 at 7 p.m. The Nanooks lost 11 of their last 12 encounters versus SPU. On Saturday, Jan. 11 the Falcons clash with Alaska Anchorage (9-5, 2-1) at 7 p.m. The Seawolves lost in their last nine trips to Seattle.
 
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.
 


GNAC Race
Picked first in the preseason coaches poll, the Falcons are seeking their fifth GNAC championship since the league was formed in 2002. 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.
 
100 & Counting
Fifth-year coach Ryan Looney registered his 100th victory on the SPU sidelines with a 73-54 home win on Dec. 5 versus Northwest Nazarene. He is the fourth coach in school history to post 100 wins and hit the century mark faster than any of his predecessors, doing so in his 130th game. Previously the quickest to 100 wins on the SPU sidelines was current Washington State coach Ken Bone who took 146 games to reach that milestone in his sixth season with the Falcons. A 103-32 record gives Looney fewer Falcons wins than only Les Habegger (267), Ken Bone (253) and Jeff Hironaka (134).
 
Falcons Fast Facts
Senior David Downs ranks No. 5 nationally in 3-point accuracy at 56.0 percent (47 of 84) ... Patrick Simon compiled 30 of his career-high 33 points with a school-record 10 three-pointers on Nov. 29 against San Francisco State ... 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 (15) & Ryan Todd (6).
 
Recent Recap
SPU suffered a pair of four-point road setbacks last week. They lost 74-70 at Western Oregon (Jan. 2) despite a 28-point performance from David Downs. He had 24 points in a 73-69 loss at Saint Martin's (Jan. 4). The Falcons were without second-leading scorer Patrick Simon (16.6 ppg) who has a hand injury, but may return this week.
 
Scouting Alaska Fairbanks (7-4, 2-1)
> Expect a defensive struggle when the GNAC's two stingiest teams collide. The Nanooks allow just 66.8 points per game, tops in the league, and SPU is second at 68.0.
 
> UAF's Joe Slocum leads the GNAC with 1.8 steals per game while teammate Andrew Kelly is second among rebounders at 8.7 per outing.
 
> Mick Durham is in his third year as head coach at UAF. The former Montana State head coach spent the previous three years as an assistant at New Mexico State. He has an 0-4 record against the Falcons.
 
> SPU leads the series 53-15 and won 11 of the last 12 encounters.
 
> Fifth-year SPU coach Ryan Looney has a 7-1 record against Alaska Fairbanks.
 
Scouting Alaska Anchorage (9-5, 2-1 GNAC)
> The third-place Seawolves won four of their last five games.
 
> Something's gotta give Saturday when the league's most prolific offense that ranks No. 6 nationally (Anchorage at 92.1 points per game) meets its second stingiest defense that ranks No. 44 in the nation (SPU at 68.0 ppg allowed). That's a 24.1-point differential between what UAA scores and the Falcons surrender.
 
> The Seawolves feature three of the league's top scorers in Travis Thompson (21.5 ppg), Brian McGill (18.0) and Kyle Fossman (17.9).
 
> Anchorage leads the all-time series 34-29. The Falcons swept both games last year, winning 85-79 on Dec. 1, 2012 in Anchorage and 59-56 on Feb. 28, 2013 in Seattle.
 
> The SPU men won the last nine games against the Seawolves played in Seattle, UAA's last Brougham Pavilion win was a 75-73 decision on Mar. 6, 2004.
 
> Fifth-year SPU coach Ryan Looney has a 6-4 record against the Seawolves.
 
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 20.8 points and 4.7 assists. A two-time, first-team all-conference selection, Downs ranks No. 5 among all-time Falcons with 482 career assists. His 1,444 career points place him sixth among all-time SPU scorers, 77 points behind No. 5 Howard Heppner (1,521 from 1963-66). 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 56.0 percent (47 of 84) from 3-point range to rank No. 6 nationally. 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 103-32 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 198-87 career record, including a 95-55 ledger in five seasons with Eastern Oregon.