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THURSDAY, JANUARY 14 –
Central Washington at Seattle Pacific, 7:30 p.m. PST
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
SATURDAY, JANUARY 16 –
Northwest Nazarene at Seattle Pacific, 5:15 p.m. PST
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
TUESDAY, JANUARY 19 –
Saint Martin's at Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m. PST
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
• Webcast for all three home games: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu/
• LiveStats for all three home games: www.sidearmstats.com/spu/mbball
 
THURSDAY, JANUARY 21 –
Seattle Pacific at Montana State Billings, 6:30 p.m. PST (7:30 MST)
Alterowitz Gymnasium / Billings, Mont.
• Webcast & LiveStats: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu/
 
A hectic stretch of four games in eight days begins with a trio of home contests for the Seattle Pacific men's basketball team. The fifth-place Falcons (10-4, 3-3 GNAC) host fourth-place Central Washington (9-2, 4-2) on Thursday, Jan. 14 at 7:30 p.m. Pacific Time as the nightcap of a doubleheader with the SPU women. That game will be played at Brougham Pavilion where SPU entertains Northwest Nazarene (5-7, 1-5) on Saturday, Jan. 16 at 5:15 p.m. and Saint Martin's (7-7, 1-5) in a rare Tuesday (Jan. 19) encounter at 7 p.m. to conclude the homestand. The Falcons then visit Montana State Billings (6-9 3-4) on Thursday, Jan. 21 for a 6:30 p.m. PST (7:30 MST) clash that completes the first swing through the Great Northwest Athletic Conference schedule.
 
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.
 


Streaking
The Falcons forged a nine-game win streak right before Christmas and then lost their first three outings following the break. That skid stopped on Saturday (Jan. 9) with a 91-63 victory at Concordia (Ore.) to hopefully start of another stretch of success.
 
Dynamic Defense
The Falcons rank No. 2 nationally in 3-point field goal defense, limiting opponents to 25.6-percent shooting beyond the arc (65 of 254). They rank No. 11 among NCAA Division II teams in overall field goal defense at 39.2 percent and allowed just one opponent (Western Oregon, 54.8% on Jan. 7) to reach the 50-percent plateau. SPU is the nation's 13th stingiest team, yielding just 65.6 points per game.
 
Stat Sheet Stuffer
Senior guard Bryce Leavitt fills up the boxscore nightly. He ranks No. 2 among GNAC Players in rebounds (7.4), No. 3 in assists (5.1) and No. 4 in assist/turnover ratio (2.45). Leavitt is SPU's fourth-leading scorer at 11.3-points per game.

 

Falcons Fast Facts
Senior center Gilles 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 ... Seven of the 15 players that have seen action made their SPU debuts this season.
 
Scouting Central Washington (9-2, 4-2 GNAC)
> The Wildcats won their last five games.
 
> Joseph Stroud leads Central with 16.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.
 
> CWU leads the all-time series 72-51 despite losing nine of the last 11 meetings. The teams split last season with Central winning 73-67 on Dec. 6 in Ellensburg and the Falcons 69-47 on Feb. 26 in Seattle.
 
> In his seventh SPU season, Ryan Looney has a 10-5 record against the Wildcats.
 
Scouting Northwest Nazarene (5-7, 1-5 GNAC)
> The Crusaders beat Montana State Billings 98-96 in their last outing, on Jan. 7 at home in Nampa, Idaho, to stop a five-game losing streak.
 
> Bouna N'Diaye leads NNU with 14.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
 
> The Falcons lead the series 55-22, including wins in nine straight and 19 of the last 21 encounters. They swept all three meetings with the Crusaders last season.
 
> Seventh-year SPU coach Ryan Looney is 12-1 versus NNU.
 
Scouting Saint Martin's (7-7, 1-5 GNAC)
> The Saints lost their last four games immediately following three straight victories.
 
> Tyler Copp paces a balanced SMU attack with 9.9 points per game.
 
> The Falcons boast a 96-34 all-time series lead and won 30 of the last 33 matchups.
 
> Seventh-year SPU coach Ryan Looney has an 11-1 record against the Saints.
 
Scouting Montana State Billings (6-9, 3-4 GNAC)
> The Yellowjackets lost three straight games right after a three-game winning streak.
 
> The junior guard tandem of Marc Matthews (14.5 ppg) and Jace Anderson (14.1 ppg) fuel the MSUB offense.
 
> The Falcons lead the series by a 37-30 margin and swept the season series last year.
 
> Seventh-year SPU coach Ryan Looney has a 9-3 record against MSU Billings.
 
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 12.6 rebounds per contest to rank No. 1.

 

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. Carroll poured in 28 points, on 10-for-18 shooting, in a 98-80 exhibition loss at Division I Washington (Nov. 5). He ranks third on the team in scoring with a 12.2-point average after missing four games due to an injury.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.

 

Looney's Ledger
Two-time GNAC Coach of the Year Ryan Looney is in 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 153-46 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 to the quarterfinals of the 2009 NAIA Division II Tournament, was hired by SPU on May 26, 2009. 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 247-101 career record, including a 95-55 ledger in five seasons at EOU.
 
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.