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THURSDAY, JANUARY 7 –
(#24) Seattle Pacific at (#14) Western Oregon, 7:00 p.m. PST
New PE Building / Monmouth, Ore.
 
SATURDAY, JANUARY 9 –
(#24) Seattle Pacific at Concordia (Ore.), 7:00 p.m. PST
Cavalier Court / Portland, Ore.
 
• Webcast & LiveStats for both games: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu/
 
A vital basketball road trip awaits the 24th-ranked Seattle Pacific men this week as they hit the road looking to get back on the winning track. The Falcons (9-3, 2-2 GNAC) travel to Monmouth, Ore. to clash with No. 14 Western Oregon (10-2, 3-1), the defending Great Northwest Athletic Conference champion, on Thursday, Jan. 7 at 7 p.m. They lost in their two visits to the Wolves' New PE Building. On Saturday, an. 9, SPU visits Portland, Ore. for its inaugural game at Concordia (3-8, 1-3). The Cavaliers are first-year members of the NCAA and GNAC. The Falcons won all three previous meetings, the last one in 1993.
 
Streak Snapped
The Falcons had a nine-game winning streak halted with a pair of home losses last week against the Alaska schools. They completed non-conference action with a 7-1 record, including victories over four 2015 NCAA Division II playoff teams.
 
Dynamic Defense
The Falcons rank No. 1 nationally in 3-point field goal defense, limiting opponents to 24.2-percent shooting beyond the arc (54 of 223). They rank No. 3 among NCAA Division II teams in overall field goal defense at 37.5 percent and have not allowed an opponent to reach the 50-percent plateau. The most accurate foe was Hawaii-Hilo at 47.5 percent. SPU is the nation's fourth stingiest team, yielding just 63.3 points per game. The highest point total allowed was 79 by Alaska Fairbanks on Jan. 2 in Seattle.


 
Stat Sheet Stuffer
Senior guard Bryce Leavitt fills up the boxscore nightly. He ranks No. 2 among GNAC Players in rebounds (7.3), No. 3 in assist/turnover ratio (2.55) and No. 4 in assists (4.7). His is SPU's fourth-leading scorer at 10.8-points per game.
 
Falcons Fast Facts
Five different Falcons claimed team-high scoring honors in a game this season, including Gilles Dierickx, Mitch Penner and Joe Rasmussen three times apiece ... Seniors Mitch Penner and Gilles Dierickx were named to the 14-man Preseason All-GNAC team and the defending league tournament champion Falcons were projected third by the coaches poll ... 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 this season made their SPU debut this season.

 

Recent Recap
SPU suffered two GNAC setbacks at home immediately following the Christmas break. The Falcons fell 61-59 on Dec. 31 when Alaska Anchorage's Brian McGill made a driving layup with 5.2 seconds left. Gilles Dierickx paced SPU with 16 points. On Jan. 2 Alaska Fairbanks shot 56 percent (10 of 18) from 3-point range to win 79-75 at Brougham Pavilion. SPU lost despite getting 18 points from Brendan Carroll.
 
Next Week
The Falcons play three home games during a six-day span, hosting Central Washington on Jan. 14, Northwest Nazarene on Jan. 16 and Saint Martin's on Jan. 19.
 
Scouting Western Oregon (10-2, 3-1 GNAC)
> The 14th-ranked Wolves are the defending GNAC regular-season champions.
 
> Expect a low-scoring contest as SPU leads the GNAC by limiting opponents to just 63.2 points per game while Western Oregon is second at 68.6.
 
> Senior forward Andy Avgi scores at a 19.7-point clip to lead the Wolves and rank second among GNAC players.
 
> SPU leads the all-time series 40-16 and won 19 of the last 23 meetings.
 
> Western Oregon won the last meeting, a 94-84 double-overtime decision on Jan. 31, 2015 in Monmouth, Ore. The Falcons won last year's first meeting 83-76 on Jan. 1 in Seattle.
 
> Former Wolves All-American player, Jim Shaw, is in his first year as head coach of the Wolves after nine years as an assistant at Washington. He is 0-0 against SPU.
 
> Seventh-year SPU coach Ryan Looney has a 10-4 record against WOU. He competed against the Wolves during his playing career at Eastern Oregon.
 
Scouting Concordia (3-8, 1-3 GNAC)
> Located in Portland, Ore., Concordia is a first-year NCAA competitor and member of the GNAC after previously competing at the NAIA level.
 
> After getting back-to-back wins for the first time this season, the Cavaliers lost 85-80 at Central Washington in their last outing.
 
> Concordia features the duo of Latrell Wilson and Drew Martin, who average 14.7 and 14.5 points per game, respectively.
 
> SPU hosted and won all three previous regular-season meetings, defeating the Cavaliers 100-86 in 1993, 87-81 in 1984 and 124-87 in 1983.
 
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 11.5 rebounds per contest to rank No. 2 nationally. SPU gathered 24 more rebounds than both Chico State on Nov. 27 (47-23) and Simon Fraser on Dec. 3 (45-21). The Falcons have been outrebounded just once this season, on Nov. 14 at Dixie State by a slim 33-31 margin.

 

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 and added three rebounds, two steals and an assist. Carroll poured in 28 points, on 10-for-18 shooting, in a 98-80 exhibition loss at Division I Washington (Nov. 5). He ranks second on the team in scoring with a 12.3-point average.
 
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 152-45 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 246-100 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.