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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26 –
Central Washington at Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m. PST
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28 –
Northwest Nazarene at Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m. PST
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
• 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 this week with a pair of home games for Seattle Pacific, which is battling for a bye in the first round of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Tournament. The Falcons (19-7, 11-5 GNAC) are tied for second place in the standings with Central Washington (16-7, 11-5) and they clash on Thursday, Feb. 26 for the inside track to the No. 2 seed in the league playoffs. Tip-off is 7 p.m. at Brougham Pavilion. The Wildcats won this season's first meeting, notching a 73-67 decision on Dec. 6 in Ellensburg that halted a five-game losing skid versus SPU. On Saturday, Feb. 28 the Falcons play their final scheduled game, hosting Northwest Nazarene (12-14, 10-6). The Crusaders, who also have a shot at the No. 2 GNAC seed, lost 12 of the last 13 encounters with SPU. The Falcons won their third straight game Saturday, beating Montana State Billings 81-59 at home behind the 20-point, 10-rebound performance of Mitch Penner.
 
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.
 
20-Game Winners
The Falcons are one win away from their unprecedented sixth straight 20-win season and the 23rd overall in school history. They previously strung together four 20-victory seasons from 1999 to 2002. The current streak of 20-win seasons started in Coach Ryan Looney's first year, a 22-6 campaign in 2009-10. That was followed by records of 20-10, 23-8 and a 27-4 mark in 2013 that tied the school record for victories and marked the program's finest winning percentage ever (87.1%). SPU was 26-6 in 2014.  
 


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. SPU is tied for second-place with Central Washington and they have secured tournament berths and are three games behind Western Oregon, which has already clinched the regular-season crown. All games will be played at Alterowitz Gymnasium in Billings, Mont. The quarterfinal contests are Mar. 5, the semifinals Mar. 6 and the championship game is set for Mar. 7 at 6:30 p.m. Pacific Time.
 
So Long Seniors
Saturday's game marks the final home playing appearance for a quartet of SPU seniors: Matt Borton, Cory Hutsen, Shawn Reid and Riley Stockton. Since Hutsen and Stockton arrived four years ago, the Falcons forged a fantastic 95-25 record with a conference regular-season championship, two GNAC Tournament titles and three NCAA Tournament berths to their credit. Those four seniors will be honored in a brief ceremony prior to Saturday's 7 p.m. tip-off at Brougham Pavilion.
  
 

Falcons Fast Facts
The Falcons lead all GNAC teams in field goal accuracy (51.6%), rebound margin (+12.5), scoring defense (64.9), scoring margin (+15.3), free throws made (419) and 3-point defense (32.2%) ... 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.
 
Scouting Central Washington (16-7, 11-5 GNAC)
> Like SPU, the Wildcats won their last three games and are tied for second place in the GNAC standings.
 
> Central's offense is led Dom Williams, who scores at a 19.9-point clip.
 
> CWU leads the all-time series 72-50 despite losing eight of the last 10 meetings. SPU had won five straight contests before falling 73-67 on Dec. 6 in Ellensburg.
 
> In his sixth season at SPU, Ryan Looney has a 9-5 record against the Wildcats.
 
Scouting Northwest Nazarene (12-14, 10-6 GNAC)
> The Crusaders, from Nampa, Idaho, won their last two games with a home sweep of the Alaska schools.
 
> Junior guard Erik Kinney leads NNU with 14.8 points per game.
 
> The Falcons lead the series 53-22, including wins in seven straight and 17 of the last 19 meetings. They were 77-51 victors in the GNAC opener on Dec. 4 in Nampa.
 
> Sixth-year SPU coach Ryan Looney is 10-1 versus the Crusaders.
 
Straight Shooters
The Falcons rank No. 5 nationally in field goal accuracy at 51.6 percent. SPU reached the 50-percent mark in 14 of 26 games and outshot opponents 19 times, winning 18 of those. Six SPU players are shooting above the 50-percent plateau led by the 58.7-percent figure of Cory Hutsen (183 of 312), who ranks second among GNAC players and 30th nationally.
 
Dynamic Defense
The SPU defense is ranked No. 29 nationally and tops in the GNAC, 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 42.9 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 12.5 more rebounds per game than their opponents. The national leader is Slippery Rock at +13.4. 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).

 

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 12th on SPU's scoring list with 1,246 points. He needs 38 more to take over the No. 11 spot from Tony Binetti (2002-2006), who compiled 1,283 points. Hutsen leads SPU with a 16.0-point average, including 11 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 418 assists during his career, a figure that ranks him No. 9 among all-time SPU playmakers. He needs 16 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 101 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 137-41 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 232-96 career record, including a 95-55 ledger in five seasons with Eastern Oregon.