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SATURDAY, JANUARY 24 –
Seattle Pacific at Montana State Billings, 6:00 p.m. PST (7:00 MST)
Alterowitz Gymnasium • Billings, Mont.
• Webcast & LiveStats: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu/
 
The Seattle Pacific men's basketball team (14-4, 6-2 GNAC) wraps up its first swing through the Great Northwest Athletic Conference schedule with a visit to Montana State Billings (4-14, 2-6) on Saturday, Jan. 24. Tip-off is 6 p.m. Pacific Time (7 p.m. Mountain) at Alterowitz Gymnasium. The Yellowjackets won a 72-70 overtime decision in Seattle during the last meeting to stop a four-game losing skid in their series versus SPU. The second-place Falcons hope the trip to Billings won't be their only visit this season as MSUB hosts the 2015 GNAC Tournament, Mar. 4-7. SPU is the two-time defending conference tournament champion. Saturday's game starts a three-game road trip for the Falcons, who have games next week at Saint Martin's (Jan. 29) and league-leading Western Oregon (Jan. 31). Those three games away from home begin a stretch in which SPU plays five of its next seven games on the road.
 
Recapping Last Week
The Falcons swept a homestand against the Alaska schools.  Mitch Penner (21) and Cory Hutsen (18) combined for 39 points as the Falcons continued their men's basketball dominance of Anchorage with a 73-51 triumph on Jan. 15. The Falcons notched their 11th consecutive home decision over UAA and their sixth straight win overall, marking SPU's longest streak of success in the series. On Jan 17, Will Parker came off the bench to tally 12 of his career-high 15 points during the first half of a 76-64 victory over Fairbanks. Matt Borton and Riley Stockton each registered a double-double for the Falcons. Borton tallied 13 points and 10 rebounds while Stockton contributed 12 points and 11 rebounds.
 


Hutsen Joins 1,000-Point Club
Cory Hutsen scored his 1,000th career point on Dec. 12, becoming the 34th player in SPU history to reach that milestone. The 6-foot-8 senior center currently ranks 24th on SPU's scoring list with 1,104 points. He needs 17 more to take over the No. 23 spot from Jeff Case (1974-78), who compiled 1,120 points. Hutsen leads SPU with a 15.2-point scoring output that includes seven 20-point performances.
 
Falcons Fast Facts
SPU has recorded three 100-point games for the first time since the 2006 season. The last time the Falcons hit the century mark more often was in 2000 with five 100-point performances ... 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 ... While the top-two point producers from last season, 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.
 
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.
 
On the Rebound
The Falcons lead the GNAC and rank second nationally in rebound margin, grabbing an average of 13.6 more rebounds per game than their opponents. On Jan. 8, SPU collected a remarkable 36 more rebounds than Simon Fraser (53-17) and on Nov. 18 they limited Rollins to just 14 rebounds while hauling in 41. The Falcons have been outrebound just once this season, on Nov. 22 at BYU-Hawaii (25-27).

 

Straight Shooters
The Falcons rank No. 3 nationally in field goal accuracy at 52.4 percent. That figure includes a 40.1-percent mark on 3-pointers that is the GNAC's best. SPU reached the 50-percent mark in 10 of its 18 games and outshot opponents on 13 occasions, winning them all. Nine SPU players are shooting at or above the 50-percent plateau led by senior Riley Stockton at 56.5% (70 of 124).
 
Scouting Montana State Billings (4-14, 2-6 GNAC)
> Saturday's matchup is a battle between the two best 3-point defenses in the GNAC. SPU holds opposing shooters to 31.5 percent behind the arc and Billings 33.6%.

> Austin Hudson leads a balanced MSUB attack with 13.2 points per game. Momir Gataric chips in 12.9 and Antoine Hosley 12.5.

> The Falcons lead the series by a 35-30 margin and won four consecutive encounters before falling 72-70 in overtime in the last meeting on Feb. 22, 2014 in Seattle. They won last year's first meeting, a 92-87 double-overtime decision on Jan. 25 in Billings.

> Jamie Stevens is in his fourth 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.

> Sixth-year SPU coach Ryan Looney has a 7-3 record against MSU Billings.
 
Famous Uncle
Senior guard Riley Stockton is the nephew of NBA Hall of Fame point guard John Stockton, who compiled a record 15,806 assists during his 19-season career with the Utah Jazz (1984-2003). Riley was an honorable mention All-GNAC 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.
 
Prolific Passer
Senior guard Riley Stockton has distributed 396 assists during his career, a figure that ranks him No. 9 among all-time SPU playmakers. He needs 38 assists to eclipse the total of 433 compiled by Brannon Stone (1991-2002) and take over the No. 8 spot. Stockton posted two 100-assist seasons, in 2013 (113) and 2014 (125).
 
Dynamic Defense
The SPU defense is ranked No. 18 nationally, surrendering just 63.1 points per game. The 2013 squad established a school record in that category, limiting foes to 60.7 points. Falcons foes are shooting 43.0 percent and just two of them reached the 50-percent plateau in a game this season.

 

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 132-38 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 227-93 career record, including a 95-55 ledger in five seasons with Eastern Oregon.