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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12 –
Seattle Pacific at Alaska Fairbanks, 8:00 p.m. PST (7 pm AST)
Patty Center / Fairbanks, Ak.
 
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14 –
Seattle Pacific at Alaska Anchorage, 3:00 p.m. PST (2 pm AST)
Alaska Airlines Center / Anchorage, Ak.
 
• Webcast & LiveStats for both games: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu/
 
The Seattle Pacific men's basketball team embarks on a difficult Great Northwest Athletic Conference road trip to Alaska at a trying time. Mired in their first three-game losing streak since 2011, the fifth-place Falcons (16-7, 8-5 GNAC) seek to get back on track on Thursday, Feb. 12 at Alaska Fairbanks (5-15, 2-10) at 8 p.m. Pacific Time (7 p.m. Alaska Time). The Nanooks lost 14 of their last 15 meetings with SPU. On Saturday, Feb. 14, SPU clashes with second-place Alaska Anchorage (13-9, 9-3) at 3 p.m. PST (2 pm AST) in the new Alaska Airlines Center. The Falcons won the last six encounters versus Anchorage, their longest winning streak in the series. The Falcons swept both games on the Alaska road trip in each of the last two years after failing to do so for 10 straight seasons.
 
Recapping Last Week
Simon Fraser defeated Seattle Pacific for the first time ever in men's basketball, posting an 84-83 win on Saturday at Brougham Pavilion despite the 28-point, 10-rebound performance of the Falcons Cory Hutsen. The defeat was SPU's third straight, following a 94-84 double-overtime setback on Jan. 31 at 24th-ranked Western Oregon and an 82-72 loss at home on Thursday against Western Washington. SPU jumped out to an 11-0 lead versus the Clan, who took control late in the second half. A 17-foot jumper at the buzzer by Riley Stockton rimmed off. Against WWU, Hutsen and Shawn Reid each had 14 points to lead the Falcons, who trailed by as many as 20 points.
 
Dynamic Defense
The SPU defense is ranked No. 28 nationally, surrendering just 64.9 points per game. The 2013 squad established the school record in that category, limiting foes to 60.7 points. Falcons' foes are shooting 43.4 percent and just three of them reached the 50-percent plateau in a game this season.

 

Falcons Fast Facts
SPU's current losing streak is its longest since a similar three-game skid from Feb. 9-19, 2011. The last longer skein entailed four straight losses from Jan. 16-25, 1997 ... 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 ... SPU owns the longest current playoff streak among NCAA Division II men's basketball teams at 10 years ... 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.
 
Next Week
Following this week's road trip the SPU men conclude their regular-season schedule with three consecutive home games, beginning on Saturday, Feb. 21 against Montana State Billings. That game will be televised live at 3 p.m. on ROOT Sports.
 
Scouting Alaska Fairbanks (5-15, 2-10 GNAC)
> The Nanooks bring an eight-game losing skid into Thursday's game, including a tough 74-72 setback on Saturday at Alaska Anchorage.
 
> UAF is led by the 14.3-point scoring average of Ashton Edwards while Ruben Silvas chips in 12.2 points per game and Almir Hadzisehovic 11.6.
 
> Mick Durham is in his fourth year as head coach at UAF. The former Montana State head coach spent the previous three years as an assistant at New Mexico State. He has an 0-7 record against the Falcons.
 
> SPU leads the all-time series 56-15 and won 14 of the last 15 encounters versus the Nanooks, including a 76-64 decision on Jan. 17 in Seattle.
 
> Sixth-year SPU coach Ryan Looney has a 10-1 record against Alaska Fairbanks.
 
Scouting Alaska Anchorage (13-9, 9-3 GNAC)
> The Seawolves won the last four games to move into sole possession of second place.
 
> UAA features Travis Thompson, who averages 16.8 points to rank fourth in the GNAC and leads the league with 66 successful 3-pointers.
 
> The SPU men were victorious in their last two visits to Anchorage, snapping a seven-game losing skid at the Seawolves' homecourt. The Falcons won 85-79 on Dec. 1, 2012 and 88-76 on Feb. 6, 2014.
 
> The Seawolves lead the all-time series 35-33 despite losing the last six meetings, their longest losing streak ever versus SPU. The Falcons won 73-51 in this year's first meeting on Jan. 15 to claim their 11th consecutive victory over UAA in Seattle.
 
> Sixth-year SPU coach Ryan Looney has a 9-4 record against Anchorage.
 
On the Rebound
The Falcons lead the GNAC and rank second nationally in rebound margin, grabbing an average of 12.7 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. 4 nationally in field goal accuracy at 51.8 percent. That figure includes a 38.9-percent mark on 3-pointers. SPU reached the 50-percent mark in 12 of its 23 games and outshot opponents on 16 occasions, winning 15 of them. Six SPU players are shooting at or above the 50-percent plateau.

 

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 16th on SPU's scoring list with 1,183 points. He needs 28 more to take over the No. 15 spot from Craig Kispert (1984-88), who compiled 1,210 points. Hutsen leads SPU with a 15.3-point scoring output that includes eight 20-point performances.
 
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
Riley Stockton has amassed 412 assists during his career, a figure that ranks him No. 9 among all-time SPU playmakers. He needs 22 assists to eclipse the total of 433 compiled by Brannon Stone (1991-2002) and take over the No. 8 spot. Stockton distributed 113 assists in 2013 and 125 in 2014. He has 95 assists this season and needs five more to become the eighth player in SPU history with three 100-assist campaigns.
 
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.
 
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 134-41 record at SPU, including a 26-6 mark last year. SPU won both the 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 and advanced to the West Region championship game for the second straight season. 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 229-96 career record, including a 95-55 ledger in five seasons with Eastern Oregon.