WEST REGION CHALLENGE SCHEDULE
Friday, Nov. 13                    Seattle Pacific at Humboldt State, 5:30 p.m.
                                                Lumberjack Arena / Arcata, Calif.
                                                Live Webcast        Live stats
 
Saturday, Nov. 14                Seattle Pacific vs. Fresno Pacific, 1:00 p.m.
                                                Lumberjack Arena / Arcata, Calif.
                                                Live Webcast        Live stats
 

        Weekly release (PDF)
        West Region Challange Tournament Central 
        SPU 2015-16 quick facts (PDF)
        2015-16 schedule        
        GNAC preseaseon poll and 2015-16 team capsules (PDF)
         
SEATTLE – The starting lineup will have a new look. But nothing will be new about the preseason schedule for the Seattle Pacific women's basketball team.
 
It'll have the same tough regional challenges as always.
 
The Falcons will open their 2015-16 schedule this weekend with a road trip to California for the West Region Challenge. SPU tips off against long-time rival Humboldt State on Friday at 5:30 p.m. in the Lumberjacks' gymnasium, then returns less than 24 hours later to face Fresno Pacific at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.
 
Only junior forward Hannah Rodrigues (Eugene, Ore.) is back from last season's starting five. The other four players who led the Falcons to a 22-7 record and a spot in the NCAA West Region semifinals – guards Aubree Callen, Betsy Kingma, and Suzanna Ohlsen, and center Maddey Pflaumer – collected their diplomas this past June.
 
Although they are non-conference, both of this weekend's games are significant in that they will count toward the West Region rankings when they start coming out in February. Of the 27 games on SPU's schedule, 25 are against West opponents. Those rankings ultimately determine who gets into the NCAA Tournament.
 
FOLLOW IT LIVE
Live stats and a free live Webcast will be available from both games this week. The appropriate links can be found at the top of this story. Once the Falcons begin Great Northwest Athletic Conference competition, all of those games also will have free Webcasts and live stats through Stretch Internet.
 
In addition, fans can keep up with the tournament by clicking on the Tournament Central link at the top of this story.
 
THE WOMEN'S GAME HAS A NEW LOOK, TOO
It's not just SPU's group of starters who will be different.
 
The college game will have some significant differences, too.
 
With a major rule change put in place last summer, the traditional format of two 20-minute halves has been replaced by four 10-minute quarters. That is similar to the WNBA and international structure.
 
Also gone is the one-and-one on free throws. On the first four fouls of each quarter, the ball will be put into play from out of bounds, with the shot clock reset to 30 seconds. On the fifth and subsequent fouls of the quarter, the fouled player will get two free throws, and won't need to make the first in order to receive the second.
 
Other changes have been implemented regarding timeouts and the amount of time teams have to replace a player who has fouled out. But the switch from halves to quarters and elimination of the one-and-one are the changes that will be most noticeable to fans.
 
SO WHAT'S THE STORY THIS WEEK?
-- In essence, SPU and Humboldt will be picking up right where they left off when they meet on Friday. The teams met in the first round of the NCAA West Regionals this past March in Anchorage, with Seattle Pacific prevailing, 77-62.
-- That was the second meeting between them last season. They played an overtime thriller on the final night of the Sodexo Tip-Off Classic in Seattle, with the Falcons coming from six points down late in regulation time to force OT, then using those extra five minutes to prevail, 83-74.
-- This is the second time in three Novembers that SPU and Humboldt have met in the season opener. The Falcons won in 2013 at the West Region Crossover Classic in Fresno, 71-66.
-- Seattle Pacific is 31-9 in season opening games. That includes last year's 78-45 Brougham Pavilion rout of Fresno Pacific in the Sodexo.
-- SPU has won its last three season openers and 14 of the past 15. The lone exception to that was in 2011 when UC San Diego won at the CCAA-GNAC Challenge, 68-47.
-- The Falcons have enjoyed fast starts the past two seasons. They won their first seven games in 2013-14, and went 6-0 last year.
-- This is the third consecutive year these four teams – SPU, Humboldt, Fresno, and Western Washington – have gotten together for a season-opening tourney.
-- The two games against Fresno Pacific have been markedly different. Although the Falcons won by 33 last season, it took an Aubree Callen buzzer-beater in 2013 to edge the Sunbirds, 56-55.
-- Seattle Pacific and Humboldt have played 28 times over the years. Most of those games were from 1998-99 through 2005-06 when the schools were conference stablemates – first in the Pacific West, then through the first five seasons of the GNAC before Humboldt left to join the CCAA.
-- Falcons coach Julie Heisey is 6-0 all-time against Humboldt State and 2-0 against Fresno Pacific.





SCOUTING THE 2015-16 FALCONS
For every player on the Seattle Pacific roster, this is their time to shine.
 
With the graduation of four starters from last year's 22-7 team and an influx of new talent, competition will be keen for every spot on the floor and every minute of action as coach Julie Heisey heads into her 11th season in charge of the Falcons.

 

The one returner who has extensive starting experience is Hannah Rodrigues. The 5-foot-10 junior started all 29 games last season on the heels of 22 starts in 27 games as a freshman. Rodrigues averaged 5.7 points and 4.7 rebounds in playing 24 minutes a game.
 
Molly Grager, a 6-2 center who is the only senior on the team, typically was one of the first players off the bench for the Falcons last winter, playing in all 29 games with four starts. It was by far and away her best season, as she averaged 3.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and had 32 blocked shots, the second-highest total on the team.
 
Guards Courtney Hollander and Jordan McPhee averaged considerable playing time off the bench as freshmen and are primed to move into more prominent roles. Both played in all 29 games.

 

Back in action after missing all of last season while recovering from knee surgery is Brianne Lasconia. After limited minutes as a freshman, Lasconia saw much more time as a sophomore in 2013-14, averaging 6.6points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists before injuring her knee.

 

Also competing for a starting positions are junior guards Stacey Lukasiewicz and Rachel Shim. Lukasiewicz is one of SPU's better shooters, hitting .509 from the floor and .455 from downtown last season. Shim averaged 1.7 points and is a very capable backcourt player.
 
Sophomore forward Erica Pagano and sophomore guard Lindsay Lee are looking to be more of a presence after very limited minutes a year ago. Also vying for time will be 6-2 center Julia Haining, who redshirted in 2013-14, then played just 24 seconds of an exhibition game last season before she went down with a season-ending knee injury.
 
Freshmen guards Riley Evans and Jaylee Albert, and freshman center Carly Rataushk are working for regular places in the rotation.
 
SCOUTING THE HUMBOLDT ST. LUMBERJACKS: 23-6, 19-3 CCAA (tie 1^st)
All-time series: SPU leads, 27-1. Current series streak: SPU won 26. Last time: SPU 77, HSU 62 (March 13, 2015 at Anchorage in NCAAs). Lumberjacks on the Web.
Lumberjacks in a nutshell: In some ways, Humboldt State is in a similar situation to SPU: All but one of last year's starters graduated. Jae Shin, Kersey Wilcox, and Danielle Gaumer started all 29 games; Megan Shields and Nikki Powell combined to start 29. Taken together, the five of them accounted for 45.4 of Humboldt's 74.6 scoring average, and 19.4 of the 40.3 rebounding average. The good news for the Lumberjacks is that their leader in both of those departments – 5-foot-10 senior forward A'Jaee Foster – is back. Foster averaged 12.2 points and 9.0 rebounds in her first year with the team after playing previously at Los Angeles Valley College. Foster went for 18 points against the Falcons in the early-season game at Seattle, but was limited to seven in the NCAA game at Anchorage. Although none of Humboldt's other returners started any games last winter, several of them did see regular playing time off the bench. That group includes 5-foot-6 senior guard Neika Puryear (8.0 points, averaging 21.4 minutes in playing 26 of the 29 games), and 5-10 senior forward Amanda Kunst (4.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, averaging 14.1 minutes in all 29 games).
 
SCOUTING THE FRESNO PACIFIC SUNBIRDS: 6-19, 6-14 Pac West (11^th)
All-time series: SPU leads, 4-1. Current series streak: SPU won 3. Last time: SPU 78, FPU 45 (Nov. 14, 2015 at Seattle). Sunbirds on the Web.
Sunbirds in a nutshell: Except for late-season three-game winning streak, things never really got on track for Fresno Pacific last winter. As the Sunbirds move into the new campaign, they'll have to replace their four leading scorers (including Jenay Herring at a team-high 14.7 points per game), one of whom also was their leading rebounder (Charde Stevens at 8.5 per game, along with 9.9 points). They do have three players returning who got some considerable starting experience. At the head of that group is 6-foot senior forward Jasmine Shedrick, who was on the court for the opening whistle in 19 of Fresno Pacific's 25 games, contributing averages of 6.5 points and 5.3 rebounds – the latter of which was second-highest on the team behind Stevens' 8.5. Abrina Salas, a 5-2 junior guard, averaged 2.4 points and 2.3 rebounds while starting 15 of 25 games. Sophomore guard / forward Megan Lee saw action in all 25 games with 10 starts, averaging 5.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists. The Sunbirds will be looking to tighten things up defensively, as they allowed an average of 73.6 points per game last season. They averaged just 62.8 on offense.
 
COACH JULIE HEISEY SAYS …
(On what she has seen so far)
"They're very coachable, and they come ready to play every day. Early on especially, I think if you would have walked in, you would have been surprised we lost four seniors. Unfortunately, we've had some injuries, so we have a few less bodies on the floor. But we've continued to get better, so it has been nice to have some scrimmages and opportunities to see them in game situations."
 
(On what she's counting on from her returners)
"Those older girls, their leadership is really important. They understand what it means to be ready every night and be consistent. … They understand what it means to get ready on the road."
 
(On the competition for starting spots)
"We have a lot of depth. The Lakers always talked about that sixth man, or the sixth and seventh man. I feel like that's what we have this year. We have seven kids who can start on any given night. There's no question that all of our kids have improved a lot."
 
(On what kind of team this will be)
"There are still a lot of unknowns. They're always going to work hard, they're always going to compete, they're always going to be coachable – that's a coach's dream. We've talked a lot about how we're not going to have a star, but our team is going to be the star. That's where understanding how to work together and how to bring out the best in each other are going to be things that our team does. That's who we are, and that's going to be a positive."
 
FALCONS PICKED FOR 3RD IN GNAC
Coaches from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference have tabbed SPU for a third-place finish in the upcoming season.
 
Coming off a 22-7 season (13-5 GNAC) that extended all the way to the NCAA West Regional semifinals, the Falcons received 86 points in the preseason poll that was released on Oct. 16.
 
Defending conference champion Alaska Anchorage, which was ranked No. 1 in Division II for several weeks last season, is the overwhelming favorite to repeat as champion. The Seawolves received 10 of the 11 first-place votes and 120 points. Western Washington is tabbed for second with 104 points, and right behind Seattle Pacific is Central Washington, fourth with 83 points.
 
The Falcons are not ranked in the national preseason poll that is a joint effort between the Women's Basketball Coaches Association and USA Today Sports. Those rankings are topped by Emporia State of Kansas. Defending West Region champion Cal Baptist is No. 3, and Alaska Anchorage is No. 7. No other West teams are in the top 25, and only three others received votes: Western Washington (No. 34), Cal State Dominguez Hills (No. 47), and UC San Diego (tied for No. 51).
 
PUTTING IT ON THE (FOUL) LINE
Through the past few seasons, SPU has developed a reputation as one of the best free-throw shooting teams in NCAA Division II, and last year was no exception.
 
Led by now-graduated Aubree Callen and Suzanna Ohlsen, the Falcons ranked No. 7 nationally at 78.0 percent, hitting 429 of 550. Factored into those numbers were games of 91.3 percent (21 of 23 against UC San Diego), 92.9 percent (26 of 28 against Dixie State), 95.7 percent (22 of 23 against Northwest Nazarene), and 93.3 percent (14 of 15 against Montana State Billings).

 

Callen ranked No. 25 in the country at 87.3 percent (96 of 110), and Ohlsen was 76th at 83.2 (89 of 107).

Among Seattle Pacific's returners, current sophomore Courtney Hollander hit 83.3 percent (20 of 24), fellow sophomore Jordan McPhee was at 78.4 (29 of 37), and senior Molly Grager hit 71.4 (20 of 28).

 
ANOTHER FROM DOWN UNDER COMES UP TOP
For the second time this decade, the SPU roster will include a talented player from Australia.

 

Making the long journey to the Pacific Northwest is Riley Evans. She typically can be found at the shooting guard spot on the court, but also can play the point. The 5-foot-10 Evans come here from the New South Wales city of Terrigal, which is about 60 miles northeast of Sydney. She has represented NSW for six straight seasons in the Australian national championships.
 
Riley follows in the Aussie footsteps of Rachel Murray, who played for the Falcons from 2010-13. Murray became a regular starter, and at different times during her career played at all five positions on the court.
 
FORMER FOE BECOMES A FRIEND
While starring at Montana State Billings from 2011-14, Bobbi Knudsen was as tough an opponent as SPU could face on any given night. She earned three All-American and All-West Region awards, and was the GNAC Player of the Year as well as the overall GNAC Female Athlete of the Year in 2014.

 

From her point guard spot, the highly skilled Knudsen could shoot it, pass it, or drive to the hoop. Of the nine games played between Billings and SPU during those years, Knudsen's Yellowjackets won five of them. In those nine games, she averaged 17 points and 4.3 assists.
 
Now, after a year of playing professionally in Germany, Knudsen has come to SPU as an assistant on coach Julie Heisey's staff. In addition to offering her expertise to a notably young Falcon team, Knudsen also is spending time in the classroom, working toward the final credits of her biology degree.
 
MILESTONES IN THE MAKING
100^th field goal   Hannah Rodrigues (has 94)
100^th free throw   Hannah Rodrigues (has 95)
100^th point        Courtney Hollander (has 95)
                   Jordan McPhee (has 91)
100^th rebound      Brianne Lasconia (has 91)
                   Stacey Lukasiewicz (has 82)
200^th point        Brianne Lasconia (has 176)
                   Molly Grager (has 166)
200^th rebound      Molly Grager (has 178)
300^th point        Hannah Rodrigues (has 299)
1,000^th minute     Molly Grager (has 948)
 
UP NEXT
If road trips are a time for bonding, the Falcons will have plenty of opportunity to do that in the early going. All five of their November games are away from home.
               
After this week's two contests at Humboldt State, the Falcons will head home for a few days before flying out to Azusa, Calif., for the West Region Crossover Classic next Friday and Saturday at Azusa Pacific. First up is UC San Diego on Nov. 20 at 3:00 p.m., followed by a game against host APU on Nov. 21 at 7:30 p.m.
 
Then, because Azusa and Point Loma Nazarene are just 8 ½ miles apart, they'll stay in that area for a couple extra days before taking on the Sea Lions at PLN on Tuesday, Nov. 24, at 5:30 p.m.