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Sodexo Challenge • Brougham Pavilion • Seattle, Wash.
• Webcast for all games: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu/
• LiveStats for all games: www.sidearmstats.com/spu/mbball
 
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20 –
Central Washington vs. Hawaii-Hilo, 4:30 p.m. PST
BYU-Hawaii vs. Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m. PST
 
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21 –
Central Washington vs. BYU-Hawaii, 12:30 p.m. PST
Hawaii-Hilo vs. Seattle Pacific, 3:00 p.m. PST
 
Seattle Pacific hosts its men's basketball home openers this week with the four-team Sodexo Challenge at Brougham Pavilion on Friday, Nov. 20 and Saturday, Nov. 21. The Falcons (1-1) join Great Northwest Athletic Conference rival Central Washington (1-0) in taking on a pair of teams from the Pacific West Conference. Doubleheaders take place both days, beginning Friday when Central clashes with Hawaii-Hilo (0-1) at 4:30 p.m. followed by SPU versus BYU-Hawaii (0-0) at 7 p.m. They swap opponents Saturday with CWU meeting BYUH at 12:30 p.m. before the Falcons take on Hawaii-Hilo at 3 p.m.
 
Sponsored by Sodexo
Seattle Pacific is grateful to Sodexo for annually sponsoring this tournament. Sodexo USA (www.sodexoUSA.com) is the leading provider of food and facilities management in the United States. The Sodexo Foundation (www.helpstophunger.org) is an independent charitable organization that is leading the fight against hunger by supporting initiatives that focus on eliminating the root causes of hunger in the U.S.
 
Falcons Fast Facts
Brendan Carroll's nine 3-pointers Saturday at Dixie State were one shy of the school record of 10 set by Patrick Simon on Nov. 29, 2013 ... Guard Bryce Leavitt came close to a triple-double Saturday with 14 points, 12 assists and 8 rebounds ... 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 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 ... Gilles Dierickx, a transfer from Washington, 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.
 
Scouting BYU-Hawaii (0-0)
> BYUH was tabbed second in the PacWest poll following a 24-6 season in 2015.
 
> Scott Friel is only returning starter. The 6-foot-5 senior guard averaged 11.5 points in 2015 and topped the Seasiders with 6.6 rebounds per game.
 
> The Seasiders were the only team to outrebound SPU in a game last season, posting a 27-25 edge on the glass in their 87-74 win on Nov. 22, 2014 in Laie, Hawaii.
 
> The teams split a pair of meetings last season. SPU let an 11-point halftime lead slip in that 87-74 loss at BYUH. The Falcons won the rematch 81-69 on March 13 in the first round of the NCAA Division II Tournament in Azusa, Calif.
 
> Coached for the 27th year by Ken Wagner, BYUH was the national runner-up in 2011 after losing 71-68 to Bellarmine in the NCAA championship game.
 
> In his seventh season at SPU, Ryan Looney has a 6-2 record against the Seasiders.
 
Scouting Hawaii-Hilo (0-1)
> Two starters return from the Hilo squad that had a 12-14 record last season and was picked 10th in this year's PacWest coaches poll. Vandynon Lockett averaged 11.4 points per game in 2015 and Darius Johnson-Wilson 10.1.
 
> The Vulcans roster includes six products of Puget Sound-area high schools, three of them from Seattle -- Chris Holmes (Franklin), Patrick Ball (Franklin), Salim Gloyd (Ballard) -- and three from Tacoma -- Jordan Russell (Lincoln), Nate Walker (Foss), Darius Johnson-Wilson (Curtis).
 
> SPU owns a 9-6 series lead, including an 84-74 win last year on Nov. 26 in Hilo.
 
> The Vulcans are coached for the third year by former Central Washington assistant GE Coleman, who lost his only meeting with the Falcons as a head coach .
 
> Seventh-year SPU coach Ryan Looney has a 1-0 record against Hilo.
 
Last Week
Mitch Penner led the Falcons with 13 points in a season-opening 68-60 overtime loss against Concordia (Calif.) on Friday. SPU rebounded Saturday, hitting 14 of 27 treys in an 80-74 win at Dixie State. Brendan Carroll erupted for 30 points.

 

Brilliant Brendan
Brendan Carroll doubled his previous career high with a 30-point performance at Dixie State (Nov. 14), leading Seattle Pacific to an 80-74 victory. The 6-foot-4 senior guard came within one of the school record for single-game 3-pointers, hitting nine of them in 12 attempts. He shot 10-for-16 overall against Dixie and added three rebounds, two steals and an assist. For the week Carroll averaged 20.5 points on 54-percent shooting (15 of 28) and hit half of his 3-pointers (9 of 18). Those figures included an 11-point effort on Friday in a 68-60 loss to Concordia (Calif.). Carroll poured in 28 points, on 10-for-18 shooting, a 98-80 exhibition loss at Division I Washington.
 
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 opponents. On Jan. 8, SPU gathered 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 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 144-43 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 setback 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.
 
Next Week
The Falcons hit the road for the next two weeks, beginning Nov. 27-28 in Chico, Calif. at the Mac Martin Invitational. They meet host Chico State on Nov. 27 and Cal State East Bay on Nov. 28. The next home action for the SPU men is Dec. 11-12 in the four-team Oak Harbor Freight Lines Classic at Brougham Pavilion.