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THURSDAY, JANUARY 28 –
Seattle Pacific at Alaska Fairbanks, 8:00 p.m. PST (7 pm AST)
Patty Center / Fairbanks, Ak.
 
SATURDAY, JANUARY 30 –
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/
 
An always-tough trip to Alaska is even more difficult this year as both teams are at the top of the table in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. The Seattle Pacific men (14-4, 7-3 GNAC) embark on their annual two-game trek to The Last Frontier that begins on Thursday, Jan. 28 at Alaska Fairbanks (13-5, 7-3). The clash of the teams tied for third place in the standings starts at 8 p.m. Pacific Time (7 p.m. Alaska Time) in the Patty Center. The Nanooks were 79-75 victors on Jan. 2 in Seattle. On Saturday, Jan. 30, the Falcons encounter first-place Alaska Anchorage (16-5, 9-1) at 3 p.m. PST (2 pm AST) in the Alaska Airlines Center. SPU had a seven-game series winning streak stopped with a 61-59 loss to the Seawolves on Dec. 31 in Seattle.  The Falcons swept both games on the Alaska road trip in each of the last three years after failing to do so for 10 straight seasons.
 
Streaking
The Falcons forged a nine-game wining streak right before Christmas and then lost their first three outings following the break. That skid stopped on Jan. 9 with a 91-63 victory at Concordia (Ore.) that ignited the current five-game winning streak.
 
Prolific Penner
Senior Mitch Penner had amassed 992 points during his career and needs eight more to become the 35th 1,000-point scorer in SPU history. The 6-foot-5 forward tops the current team with a 14.9-point average that includes four 20-point performances and a season-high 30-point outburst at Concordia on Jan. 9. Penner produced 24 points (1.6 ppg) in 2013, 281 (8.8) in 2014, 434 (13.6) in 2015 and has 253 points this season. His career-high with a 31-point performance at Simon Fraser in 2015.


  
Stat Sheet Stuffer
Senior guard Bryce Leavitt fills up the boxscore nightly. He ranks No. 2 among GNAC Players in assist/turnover ratio (2.45), No. 3 in assists (4.9) and No. 5 in rebounds (7.1). Leavitt is SPU's fourth-leading scorer at 10.0-points per game.

Dynamic Defense
The Falcons rank No. 1 nationally in 3-point field goal defense, limiting opponents to 25.5-percent shooting beyond the arc (82 of 322). They rank No. 6 among NCAA Division II teams in overall field goal defense at 39.0 percent and allowed just one opponent (Western Oregon, 54.8% on Jan. 7) to reach the 50-percent plateau. SPU is the nation's seventh stingiest Division II team, yielding just 63.8 points per game.
 
Falcons Fast Facts
SPU has a 13-1 record in games it led at halftime and is 12-1 when posting a superior shooting percentage than opponents ... Five different Falcons have led the team in scoring at least once this season ... 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.
 
Scouting Alaska Fairbanks (13-5, 7-3 GNAC)
> The Nanooks have an 8-2 home record and are tied for third place with SPU.
 
> Fairbanks features 6-foot-4 forward Travante Williams who leads the GNAC with 2.6 steals per game and ranks No. 4 in scoring at 17.6 points per outing.
 
> Mick Durham is in his fifth year as head coach at UAF. The former Montana State coach has a 1-8 record against SPU.
 
> The Falcons lead the all-time series 57-16 and won 15 of the last 17 encounters. Fairbanks won this season's first meeting 79-75 on Jan. 2 in Seattle.
 
> SPU leads the nation in 3-point defense (33.0%), but allowed the Nanooks to shoot 56 percent beyond the arc (10 of 18) in the first encounter, the best by an opponent.
 
> Seventh-year SPU coach Ryan Looney has an 11-2 record against Alaska Fairbanks.
 
Scouting Alaska Anchorage (16-5, 9-1 GNAC)
> The Seawolves won 10 of their last 11 to forge a first-place tie with Western Oregon.
 
> UAA features junior guard Sekou Wiggs, a transfer from Idaho who leads the league in scoring at 24.1 points per game. He is a graduate of Seattle's O'Dea High School.
 
> Anchorage forward Corey Hammell leads the GNAC with a 10.3-rebound average.
 
> The Seawolves lead the all-time series 36-34 despite losing seven of the last eight meetings. They won this year's first encounter 61-59 on Dec. 31 in Seattle.
 
> The SPU men were victorious in their last three visits to Anchorage, snapping a seven-game losing skid at the Seawolves' homecourt. The Falcons won 85-79 on Dec. 1, 2012, 88-76 on Feb. 6, 2014 and 73-72 in overtime on Feb. 14, 2015.
 
> Seventh-year SPU coach Ryan Looney has a 10-5 record against Anchorage.
 
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). Carroll ranks third on the team in scoring with an 11.9-point average after missing four games due to an injury.

 

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.
 
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. SPU 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 157-46 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 251-101 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.
 
Next Week
The SPU men return home to host newest GNAC member Concordia (Ore.) on Feb. 4 at 7:30 before league-leading Western Oregon invades Brougham Pavilion for a 7 p.m. clash on Feb. 6.