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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21 –
Montana State Billings at Seattle Pacific, 3:00 p.m. PST
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash. -- ROOT SPORTS TV

• Webcast for both games: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu/
• LiveStats for both games: www.sidearmstats.com/spu/mbball
 
The men's basketball regular season concludes with three consecutive home games for Seattle Pacific, which is battling for a bye in the first round of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Tournament. The Falcons (18-7, 10-5 GNAC) play just once this week, hosting Montana State Billings (5-20, 3-12) on Saturday, Feb. 21 at Brougham Pavilion. The 3:00 p.m. game will be televised live on ROOT Sports. SPU won five of the last six encounters with the Yellowjackets, but lost a 72-70 overtime decision on Feb. 22, 2014 during the last meeting in Seattle. Next week, the Falcons close out the campaign at home against Central Washington on Feb. 26 and Northwest Nazarene on Feb. 28.
 
Television Tidbits
The SPU men appear on television for the second time this season and the same broadcast crew of Brad Adam and Dave Harshman will describe the action. They called a thrilling game on Jan. 10 in Bellingham as Western Washington got a buzzer-beating layup by Ricardo Maxwell to defeat the Falcons 68-66. 
 
Ticket Talk
Individual tickets for SPU basketball games can be purchased at Brougham Pavilion (3414 Third Ave. W., Seattle 98119) on game day. Ticket windows open one hour before tip-off. Reserved seats are $9 and general admission tickets are priced at $6 for adults and $3 for students and senior citizens. Groups may qualify for special GA rates by calling (206) 281-2085 in advance. SPU students and staff are admitted free with i.d.


 
GNAC Tournament
For the fifth year, the GNAC is sponsoring a postseason tournament with the winner receiving the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Division II playoffs. The top six finishers from the regular-season standings compete in the tournament with the top two receiving first-round byes. Third-place SPU has clinched a tournament berth and trails Alaska Anchorage by one-half game in the battle for the second seed. All games will be played at Alterowitz Gymnasium in Billings, Mont. The quarterfinal games are Mar. 5, the semifinals Mar. 6 and the championship game is set for Mar. 7 at 6:30 p.m. Pacific Time.
 
Falcons Fast Facts
The Falcons lead all GNAC teams in field goal accuracy (51.5%), rebound margin (+12.2), scoring defense (65.1), scoring margin (+15.1), free throws made (403) and 3-point defense (32.3%) ... Senior Riley Stockton has compiled 3,793 career minutes on the court to replace David Downs (3,667 from 2010-14) as the Falcon who has logged more playing time than anyone in the 71-year history of SPU men's basketball … SPU has recorded three 100-point games for the first time since the 2006 season. The last time the Falcons hit the century mark more often was in 2000 with five 100-point performances ... Sophomore center Joe Rasmussen's father, Blair, had a eight-year NBA career in Denver and Atlanta.

 

Player of the Week
Cory Hutsen, who totaled 43 points during two road wins in Alaska, received the GNAC men's basketball Player of the Week award on Monday. Hutsen converted 20 of 29 shots from the field (69%), grabbed nine rebounds and blocked three shots. The 6-foot-8 senior center tallied 20 points, on 9-for-14 shooting, in Thursday's 74-64 victory at Alaska Fairbanks. On Saturday at Anchorage, Hutsen scored 23 points in a 73-72 overtime triumph.  He nailed 11 of 15 shots against the second-place Seawolves and netted the go-ahead basket with 2:18 left in overtime. A product of Skyline High School, Hutsen leads SPU with a 15.8-point scoring average and has ten 20-point games.
 
Team of the Week
The Seattle Pacific men's basketball team was named the GNAC Team of the Week after battling back from a halftime deficit against Alaska Fairbanks and surviving an overtime contest against Alaska Anchorage. The Falcons pulled out of a five point halftime deficit for a 74-64 win in Fairbanks Thursday. Mitch Penner recorded his fourth double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. On Saturday at Anchorage, Cory Hutsen scored 23 points and freshman Sam Simpson added a career-high 12, in a 73-72 victory.
 
Straight Shooters
The Falcons rank No. 4 nationally in field goal accuracy at 51.5 percent. SPU reached the 50-percent mark in 13 of 25 games and outshot opponents 18 times, winning 17 of those. Six SPU players are shooting above the 50-percent plateau.
 
Dynamic Defense
The SPU defense is ranked No. 29 nationally and tops in the GNAC, surrendering just 65.1 points per game. The 2013 squad established the school record in that category, limiting foes to 60.7 points. Falcons' foes are shooting 43.2 percent and just three of them reached the 50-percent plateau in a game this season.
 
On the Rebound
The Falcons lead the GNAC and rank second nationally in rebound margin, grabbing an average of 12.2 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).
 
Scouting Montana State Billings (5-20, 3-12 GNAC)
> Saturday's matchup is a battle between the two hardest working players in the league. The Yellowackets Kendall Denham plays a GNAC-leading 34.0 minutes per game and SPU's Riley Stockton is second at 33.0. Stockton saw more action overall with 825 total minutes to 747 for Denham.
 
> Anntoine Hosley scores at a 12.5-point clip to pace a balanced MSUB attack.
 
> The Falcons lead the series by a 36-30 margin and won four consecutive encounters before falling 72-70 in overtime in the last meeting in Seattle, on Feb. 22, 2014. They won this year's first meeting, a 60-44 decision on Jan. 24 in Billings.
 
> Jamie Stevens is in his fourth year as head coach at MSUB after serving the previous four years at Central Wyoming College. Stevens played for the Yellowjackets and compiled a school-record 805 assists during his career from 1994-99.
 
> Sixth-year SPU coach Ryan Looney has an 8-3 record against MSU Billings.
 
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 13th on SPU's scoring list with 1,226 points. He needs seven more to take over the No. 12 spot from Orville Anderson (1955-59), who compiled 1,232 points. Hutsen leads SPU with a 15.8-point average, including 10 games of 20 points.

 

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 417 assists during his career, a figure that ranks him No. 9 among all-time SPU playmakers. He needs 17 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 exactly 100 assists this season 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 136-41 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 231-96 career record, including a 95-55 ledger in five seasons with Eastern Oregon.