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PacWest/GNAC Challenge
Cannon Activity Center / Laie, Hawaii
• LiveStats for all games: http://byuhawaiisports.com
 
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21 –
(#22) Seattle Pacific vs. Hawaii Pacific, 7:00 p.m. PST
 
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22 –
(#22) Seattle Pacific at BYU-Hawaii, 9:30 p.m. PST
 
Vulcans Thanksgiving Classic
Civic Auditorium / Hilo, Hawaii
• LiveStats for all games: http://www.sidearmstats.com/uhh/mbball/
 
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24 –
(#22) Seattle Pacific vs. Northwest Indian College, 7:00 p.m. PST
 
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25 –
(#22) Seattle Pacific vs. Washburn, 7:00 p.m. PST
 
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26 –
(#22) Seattle Pacific at Hawaii Hilo, 9:30 p.m. PST
 
The 22nd-ranked Falcons frenetic schedule continues this week with a stretch of five men's basketball games in six days during a pair of Hawaii tournaments. Seattle Pacific (2-1) opens the PacWest/GNAC Challenge in Laie with a game against Hawaii Pacific on Friday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. Pacific Time (5 p.m. Hawaii Time). That will be played at the Cannon Activity Center where host BYU-Hawaii entertains the Falcons on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 9:30 p.m. PST. After a one-day respite from games, SPU resumes action at the Hilo Civic Auditorium in the Vulcans Thanksgiving Classic. The Falcons play Bellingham's Northwest Indian College on Monday, Nov. 24 and Washburn on Tuesday, Nov. 25. Both games tip off at 7 p.m. Pacific Time. SPU's Hawaii journey concludes on Wednesday, Nov. 26 against tournament host Hawaii Hilo in a 9:30 p.m. PST game.
 
Falcons Fast Facts
Senior Matt Borton is shooting 89.9 percent from the field, hitting 16 of 18 shots. His only two misses were 3-point tries ... Borton and Cory Hutsen are the only two Falcons to tally double-figure points in all three games ... SPU was picked No. 22 in the NABC coaches preseason national rankings ... Seniors Riley Stockton and Cory Hutsen were named to the 15-man Preseason All-GNAC team and the defending league champion Falcons were projected third by the conference coaches poll ... SPU owns the longest current playoff streak among NCAA Division II men's basketball teams at 10 years ... While top-two scorers David Downs (20.4) and Patrick Simon (16.0) have departed, the next six highest SPU scorers return led by the 10.8 points of Hutsen ... Sophomore center Joe Rasmussen's father Blair had a eight-year NBA career in Denver and Atlanta ... Six of the 15 players on the roster had never before played a game in an SPU uniform, including starting forward Garrett Swanson, a transfer from Casper (Wyo.) College.
 


Strenuous Schedule
The Falcons, who started the season with three games in five days, are in the midst a hectic stretch of eight games in 13 days. Upon returning from Hawaii, they have one week off from competition before beginning Great Northwest Athletic Conference play on Dec. 4 at Northwest Nazarene. SPU's lone home game at Brougham Pavilion in the month of December is Dec. 12 at 7 p.m. against George Fox.
 
Recapping Last Week
The Falcons fell 70-67 to Academy of Art in their Nov. 14 season opener despite the 17 points of Mitch Penner. They took their frustrations out on Minnesota Crookston the next night with a 90-38 rout, fueled by 21 points from Cory Hutsen. SPU shot 60 percent and held UMC at 27%. Garrett Swanson led four double-digit scorers with 14 points in an 86-62 victory over Evergreen State in the last outing on Nov. 18.
 
Scouting Hawaii Pacific (0-0)
Friday's game vs. SPU is the season opener for the Sharks, who posted a 15-13 record last year. Senior guard Justin Long, who averaged 18.5 points in 2014, is a Preseason All-PacWest pick. SPU won the last eight meetings to take an 8-2 series lead over HPU. The most recent encounter resulted in a 73-57 Falcons victory on Nov. 23, 2013 in Ellensburg, Wash.
 
Scouting BYU-Hawaii (0-0)
The Seasiders open the season with their own tournament this weekend. They toured South Korea in July and finished third in the Asia Pacific U-Basketball Challenge. BYUH was picked fourth in the PacWest coaches poll following a 15-12 season in 2013-14. The Falcons won the last four meetings to take a 12-1 series advantage. SPU beat the Seasiders 86-73 on Nov. 22, 2013 in Ellensburg, Wash. in the last meeting.
 
Scouting Northwest Indian College (0-2)
Northwest Indian College is an independent program located in Bellingham, Wash. that frequently plays against four-year NCAA or NAIA institutions. The Eagles lost two games at Simon Fraser, on Nov. 14 and 15 by scores of 160-99 and 135-103. NIC has beaten 35 other Tribal Colleges to win three consecutive American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) national tournaments. The Eagles have never played SPU.
 
Scouting Washburn (2-2)
The Ichabods, from Topeka, Kansas, have early-season wins over Southwestern and Peru State to their credit and play two games before meeting SPU on Nov. 25 in Hawaii. Senior forward Alex North leads the team with 15.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Washburn owns a 2-1 edge in the all-time series with all three previous meetings occurring in Las Vegas. The Ichabods were 81-69 victors in the most recent encounter with the Falcons, on Dec. 20, 2003. The Ichabods won the first meeting 78-59 on Dec. 18, 1997 before SPU claimed a 70-66 decision on Dec. 20, 1998. 
 
Scouting Hawaii-Hilo (1-1)
The Vulcans are coached for the second year by former Central Washington assistant GE Coleman. They opened the season in Bellingham, splitting a pair of games against GNAC teams. UHH defeated Northwest Nazarene 89-81 on Nov. 14 and lost to host Western Washington 84-73 on Nov. 15. Junior forward Tre Johnson is averaging 24.0 points and 5.0 rebounds. SPU owns an 8-6 advantage in the all-time series with the Vulcans despite losing 84-70 in the last meeting, on Nov. 26, 2004 in Hilo.

 

Famous Uncle
Senior 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 was an honorable mention All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference honoree in 2014 and is a preseason all-league pick this year. The 2013 GNAC Defensive Player of the Year, Riley Stockton prepped at Ferris High School in Spokane, Wash. In 2013, the 6-foot-4 guard became the shortest player to lead the GNAC in rebounding at 7.5 boards per game. Stockton led SPU with 5.8 rebounds per game last season while scoring at a 8.1-point clip and averaging 3.9 assists.
 
2015 Season Preview
Seattle Pacific has two large holes to fill, but don't discount the Falcons as they seek to extend the nation's longest playoff streak. Gone is 2014 GNAC and West Region Player of the Year David Downs. The All-America point guard averaged 20.4 points and 4.7 assists while ranking third nationally in 3-point accuracy at 47.4 percent. The national 3-point leader? Patrick Simon (50.0%), another SPU graduate and first-team All-GNAC selection, who averaged 16.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in 2014. Filling the void for that dynamic duo is a trio of stellar starters entering their senior season. Guard Riley Stockton was the 2013 GNAC Defensive Player of the Year and is a stat-sheet stuffer. Center Cory Hutsen will get more shots to improve his 10.9-point scoring production. Matt Borton scored at a 7.6-point clip last year after transferring from Idaho. Sixth-year coach Ryan Looney believes Borton is capable of greatly increased point production and is a potential breakout star. Also returning is super sub Mitch Penner, a junior forward who averaged 8.8 points and keyed several big non-conference victories. The Falcons lineup is bolstered by senior guard Shawn Reid, a transfer from Montana State who sat out last year as a red-shirt. A pair of junior college transfers are expected to make an immediate impact, especially Bryce Leavitt from North Idaho College in the newly vacant point guard role. Forward Garrett Swanson from Casper (Wyo.) JC is a sharpshooter who should ease the loss of Simon's long-range productivity. SPU competed in the last 10 NCAA Division II Tournaments and advanced to the West Regional championship game in 2012 and 2013.
 
2014 Season Review
The Falcons forged a 26-6 overall record last year, coming within one of the school record for single-season wins. They posted a 15-3 record to claim the 2014 conference regular-season championship and followed that with their second straight GNAC Tournament title. The Falcons participated in the NCAA playoffs for the 10th consecutive year and lost an 80-72 overtime decision against Cal State Stanislaus. Senior point guard David Downs was honored as a first-team All-American as well as the GNAC and West Region Player of the Year. He averaged 20.4 points in 2014 and departed ranked No. 2 in SPU career assists (561) and No. 3 in points (1,786).
 
Looney's Ledger
Ryan Looney, the 2014 GNAC Coach of the Year, directed Seattle Pacific into the playoffs in each of his five previous seasons. He has a 120-35 record at SPU, including a 26-6 mark last year. SPU won both GNAC regular season and tournament championships in 2014. The Falcons registered a 27-4 record in 2013, equaling the school standard for single-season victories while establishing the best winning percentage (87.1%) in program history. They won the 2013 GNAC Tournament title after placing second in the standings with a 16-2 conference record. SPU advanced to the West Region championship game in both 2012 and 2013. 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, 39, has a 215-90 career record, including a 95-55 ledger in five seasons with Eastern Oregon.
 
Defending Champs
SPU last season became just the second team to win both the GNAC regular-season and tournament championships, joining Central Washington (2011). The Falcons finished with a 15-3 record to secure their fifth GNAC regular-season championship since the league was formed in 2002. SPU won its second straight GNAC Tournament title with a 65-62 win over Western Washington.