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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3 –
(#16) Seattle Pacific at Simon Fraser, 5:15 p.m. PST
West Gym / Burnaby, B.C.
 
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5 –
(#16) Seattle Pacific at Western Washington, 7:30 p.m. PST
Whatcom CC Pavilion / Bellingham, Wash.
 
• Webcast & LiveStats for both games: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu
 
Seattle Pacific (5-1) brings a five-game winning streak into Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball play that starts on Thursday, Dec. 3 at Simon Fraser (1-5). Tip-off is 5:15 p.m. Pacific Time at West Gym in Burnaby, B.C. SPU won the first 13 encounters in the series before the Clan were 84-83 victors on Feb. 7, 2015 in Seattle. On Saturday, Dec. 5 the Falcons make their annual visit to Bellingham to clash with Western Washington (5-3). Tip-off is 7:30 p.m. at the Whatcom Community College Pavilion where the Vikings are playing home games while Carver Gym undergoes renovations. WWU won both regular-season meetings last year before SPU registered an 81-68 decision in the 2015 GNAC Tournament championship game. Next week the Falcons close out their non-league slate by hosting Northwest and Azusa Pacific in the Oak Harbor Freight Lines Classic, Dec. 11-12 in Brougham Pavilion. SPU plays the 7 p.m. nightcap both nights.

Get Your Tickets
Saturday's game against Western Washington will be played at the Whatcom Community College Pavilion in Bellingham. With a significantly smaller seating capacity than WWU's on-campus facility that is being renovated, Falcons fans are encouraged to secure tickets ahead of time by calling the Vikings Ticket Office at:  (360) 650-6103. Tickets will not be available at the door in the event of a sellout.

Ranking Report
The Falcons climbed seven spots, to No. 16, in this week's NABC national rankings after not being listed in the preseason poll. They polled as high as No. 2 last season, in the preseason, and were 11th in the final rankings.  The SPU men have never held a No. 1 ranking.


 
Falcons Fast Facts
Five different players led SPU in scoring in this season's six games ... Guard Bryce Leavitt compiled 27 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists in two wins last week, including a 16-point, 14-rebound double-double to go along with five assists in the Falcons 62-50 victory over No. 8 Chico State (Nov. 27) ... Seniors Mitch Penner and Gilles Dierickx were named to the 14-man Preseason All-GNAC team and the defending league tournament champion Falcons were projected third by the coaches poll ... Dierickx, a transfer from Washington, is the first 7-foot player in Falcons history ... Junior center Joe Rasmussen's father Blair had a eight-year NBA career in Denver and Atlanta.
 
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 Simon Fraser (1-5, 0-0 GNAC)
> Located in Burnaby, B.C., Simon Fraser became the first college from outside the United States to join the NCAA and the GNAC in 2010-11.
 
> The Clan lost their last four games after beating Douglas 78-58 on Nov. 17 at home.
 
> The SFU offense features four double-figure scorers, led by the 15.7-point average of Max Barkeley.
 
> The Falcons won the first 13 meetings against Simon Fraser, including a 115-81 decision on Jan. 8, 2015 in Burnaby, before losing 84-83 on Feb. 7, 2015 in Seattle.
 
> In his seventh season at SPU, Ryan Looney has a 9-1 record against the Clan.
 
Scouting Western Washington (5-3, 0-0 GNAC)
> The Vikings are led by the 20.1 point average of Jeffrey Parker while Kyle Impero chips in 16.3 points and a team-leading 7.0 rebounds.
 
> The Falcons own an 81-52 series advantage, but lost 68-66 in their last visit to Bellingham on Jan. 10, 2015. Richardo Maxwell dribbled the length of the floor and scored the game-winner on a layup at the buzzer after SPU's Mitch Penner had tied the game on two free throws with 3.7 seconds left.
 
> Western swept the regular-season series, including an 82-72 victory on Feb. 5 in Seattle. SPU then beat the Vikings 81-68 in the GNAC Tournament championship game for the third straight season.
 
> WWU is coached for the fourth season by Tony Dominguez, who served as an assistant coach on the staff for 17 years. He replaced 27-year coach Brad Jackson who is now an assistant at Washington. Dominguez is 5-5 versus Seattle Pacific.
 
> In his seventh season at SPU, Ryan Looney has a 9-8 record against the Vikings.
 
Dynamic Defense
The Falcons rank No. 1 nationally in 3-point field goal defense, limiting opponents to 20.8-percent shooting beyond the arc (20 of 96). They rank No. 8 among NCAA Division II teams in overall field goal defense at 37.3 percent and have not allowed an opponent to reach the 50-percent plateau. The most accurate foe was Hawaii-Hilo at 47.5 percent. SPU is the nation's 13th stingiest team, yielding just 63.7 points per game. The highest point total allowed was 73 by Hilo on Nov. 21 in Seattle.
 
Last Week
SPU swept both games at the Mac Martin Invitational in Chico, Calif. Gilles Dierickx tallied a career-high 20 points and Bryce Leavitt produced a 16-point, 14-rebound double-double in a 62-50 victory at eighth-ranked Chico State (Nov. 27). Mitch Penner poured in 24 points and Nathan Streufert added 14 to lead a 71-57 win over Cal State East Bay (Nov. 28).
 
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. They are dominating the glass again this season, out-boarding foes by 10.8 rebounds per contest to rank No. 9 nationally. On Nov. 27, SPU gathered 24 more rebounds than Chico State (47-23). The Falcons have been out-rebounded just once, on Nov. 14 at Dixie State by a slim 33-31 margin.

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 Nov. 13 in a 68-60 loss to Concordia (Calif.). Carroll poured in 28 points, on 10-for-18 shooting, in 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.
 
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 148-43 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 242-98 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.