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Dixie State Classic • Burns Arena • St. George, Utah
• LiveStats for all games: http://www.sidearmstats.com/dixie/mbball/

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13 –
Seattle Pacific vs. Concordia (Calif.), 4:00 p.m. PST (5 p.m. MST)
 
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14 –
Seattle Pacific at Dixie State, 6:30 p.m. PST (7:30 p.m. MST)
 
The regular season starts this week for the Seattle Pacific men with the first of three consecutive basketball tournaments in a treacherous non-conference slate. The Falcons travel to St. George, Utah for the Dixie State Classic. They open against Concordia (Calif.) on Friday, Nov. 13 at 4 p.m. Pacific Time (5 p.m. Mountain Time). That marks the inaugural NCAA Division II game for the Eagles, who were extremely successful at the NAIA level. On Saturday, Nov. 14 SPU clashes with host Dixie State at 6:30 p.m. PST (7:30 p.m. MST). The Red Storm and SPU have met six times in the last five years, each winning three times. The Falcons own a 5-3 edge in the all-time series. Dixie competed in the last six NCAA Tournaments and is one of four teams from last year's playoff field on SPU's eight-game non-league schedule.
 
Falcons Fast Facts
Seniors Mitch Penner and Gilles Dierickx were named to the 14-man Preseason All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference team and the defending GNAC Tournament champion Falcons were projected third by the coaches poll ... SPU owns the longest current playoff streak among NCAA Division II men's basketball teams at 11 years ... The Falcons reached the 20-win plateau in 2014-15 (24-8) for a school-record sixth straight season and the 23rd time overall in school history ... SPU led the nation in rebound margin last year, collecting 12.5 more caroms per game than opponents ...  Junior center Joe Rasmussen's father Blair had a eight-year NBA career in Denver and Atlanta ... Half (8) of the 16 players on the roster have never before played a game in an SPU uniform, including projected starters Nathan Streufert, a red-shirt freshman, and Gilles Dierickx, a transfer from Washington who is the first 7-foot player in Falcons history.
 


2016 Season Preview
Seattle Pacific's national-leading string of 11 NCAA Division II Tournament appearances will be tested this season. Three starters departed from last year's 24-8 squad, including four of the top-five scorers. Heading the list of returnees for seventh-year coach Ryan Looney's squad is honorable mention all-conference selection Mitch Penner. The 6-foot-5 senior forward ranked second on the team with 13.6 points per game in 2015. Also back is 6-4 senior point guard Bryce Leavitt and his 2.2 assists per game. Capable scoring reserves Brendan Carroll (6.2) and Garrett Swanson (3.6) also return along with talented red-shirt freshmen Nathan Streufert and Coleman Wooten, who are now eligible to play. Along with Dierickx, the impressive list of newcomers features two other transfers; Olivier-Paul Betu (UC Davis) and Hunter Eisenhower (Chadron State). The Falcons need to fill a void left by the departures of starters Matt Borton, Cory Hutsen and Riley Stockton. All three were All-GNAC performers last season and Stockton was a two-time Defender of the Year.
 
Next Week
The Falcons return home next week for their first counting games at Brougham Pavilion. They host the four-team Sodexo Challenge, playing BYU-Hawaii on Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. and Hawaii-Hilo on Nov. 21 at 3 p.m. Those two also play Central Washington.
 
Scouting Concordia, Calif. (0-0)
> The Eagles hail from Irvine, California and are former NAIA competitors. Their matchup with SPU marks their inaugural game as an NCAA Division II member. The Eagles are provisional members of the PacWest Conference.
 
> Concordia returns 10 players, including three starters, and have added five newcomers to the roster.
 
> Stephen Grosey is the top returning scorer with a 12-point average last season. The 6-foot-7 senior forward topped the Eagles with 12.1 rebounds per game.
 
> Coach Ken Ammann, a former standout player at Stanford, is entering his 15th year at the CCU and is only 16 wins short of 400 with a career 384-108 record.
 
> Friday marks the first encounter between SPU and Concordia (Calif.)
 
Scouting Dixie State (0-0)
> Located in St. George, Utah, Dixie State is a member of the Pacific West Conference.
 
> The Red Storm returns three starters from last season's 20-8 squad, which claimed the program's fifth PacWest title in six years and clinched DSU's sixth-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament.
 
> Heading the list of returnees is senior point guard Mason Sawyer, who earned third team All-PacWest honors in averaging 12.3 points and 4.1 assists.
 
> SPU owns a slim 5-3 series lead, including a 76-66 win in the last meeting, on Dec. 17, 2014 in Las Vegas. Departed senior Shawn Reid sparked that SPU victory, pouring in 30 points in just 18 minutes off the bench.
 
> The teams twice met in the NCAA Division II Tournament. The Falcons were 70-68 victors on March 9, 2012 in Bellingham and Dixie won 75-73 on March 12, 2011 in Ellensburg, Wash.
 
> Five-time PacWest Coach of the Year Jon Judkins begins his 11th season on the Dixie State bench, where he has compiled a 184-91 overall record, including a 164-80 mark during DSU's NCAA Division II era.
 
> Seventh-year SPU coach Ryan Looney has a 3-3 record against the Red Storm.

 

Exhibition Recap
Transfer Gilles Dierickx led six double-figure scorers with 18 points for SPU, which completed its men's basketball exhibition slate Saturday (Nov. 7) with a 98-65 win over Evergreen State at Brougham Pavilion. The Falcons shot 70 percent (37 of 58) and scored 98 points two days after giving up that total in a 98-80 loss across town versus Washington (Nov. 5). Brendan Carroll scored 28 points at UW to lead SPU, which was within 60-55 with 13:09 left to play before the Huskies went on a run. Bryce Leavitt averaged 6.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists to lead those categories in the tune-ups.
 
Remembering Dixie
The Falcons were victorious the last time they competed in the Dixie State Classic. That was their 2011-12 season opener. David Downs scored 24 of his 26 points in the second half on Nov. 12 as SPU rallied from a 25-18 halftime deficit to defeat Colorado Mesa 67-55 in the championship game. The Falcons defeated host Dixie 58-42 on Nov. 11 behind Jobi Wall's 10 points.
 
2015 Season Review
The Falcons forged a 24-8 overall record last year and captured their third straight GNAC Tournament championship with an 81-69 victory over Western Washington. SPU posted a 13-5 record to place second in the GNAC standings. The Falcons participated in the NCAA playoffs for the 11th consecutive year and advanced to the West Region semifinals before losing a 78-77 decision against California Baptist on a last-second shot. Senior guard Riley Stockton was honored as the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team all-league selection. Senior center Cory Hutsen was a second-team All-GNAC pick after leading the team with 15.8 points per game. Senior Matt Borton and returning forward Mitch Penner got honorable mention acclaim.
 
Three-Peat
Seattle Pacific won its third consecutive Great Northwest Athletic Conference Tournament championship on March 7, 2015 in Billings, Montana with an 81-68 victory over Western Washington. No other GNAC school has won more than one title. Departed senior center Cory Hutsen earned MVP honors after erupting for a tournament-record 34 points, on 15-for-23 shooting, in the title tilt.
 
On the Rebound
The Falcons led the nation in rebound margin in 2014-15, collecting an average of 12.5 more caroms per game than their opponents. On Jan. 8, SPU gathered a remarkable 36 more rebounds than Simon Fraser (53-17), on Feb. 26 they had 35 more than Central Washington (60-25) and on Nov. 18 they limited Rollins to just 14 rebounds while hauling in 41. The Falcons were out-boarded just once last season, on Nov. 22 at BYU-Hawaii (25-27).

 

Looney's Ledger
Two-time GNAC Coach of the Year Ryan Looney begins his seventh season as the head coach of Seattle Pacific men's basketball program. Looney directed the Falcons to three consecutive GNAC Tournament championships (2012-14) and playoff berths in each of his six seasons. He has a 143-42 record at SPU, including a 24-8 mark last year. 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. In 2010, Looney became the first coach to direct the Falcons to a conference championship in his inaugural season. 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 and reached the 100-win mark faster than any previous SPU coach (130 games). Looney, 40, has a 237-97 career record, including a 95-55 ledger in five seasons with Eastern Oregon.
 
Postseason Pursuit
SPU is seeking its 12th straight NCAA Tournament berth. The Falcons have been postseason participants every year since 2005, the longest consecutive playoff streak in school history. The current run of 11 straight postseason 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.
 
Exhibition History
SPU has a 20-16 all-time record in exhibition games, including a 98-65 home victory over Evergreen State in the last one, on Nov. 7. Four of the Falcons' exhibition victories came against NCAA Division I foes, but they lost the last five matchups, the last a 98-80 decision at Washington on Nov. 5. Prior to those five setbacks, SPU won three straight road exhibitions against Division I opponents, highlighted by a shocking 69-68 upset of 16th-ranked Arizona on Oct. 27, 2011 in Tucson. The previous season, the Falcons swept two tune-up games, winning 87-82 at Eastern Washington (Nov. 2, 2010) and 84-81 at Nevada (Nov. 6, 2010). Seattle Pacific defeated Division I foe Murray State 76-68 in 2006.