• Complete Release (pdf)

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20 –
Montana State Billings at (#25) Seattle Pacific, 9:00 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 seeding position in the upcoming GNAC Tournament. The Falcons (18-7, 11-6 GNAC) host Montana State Billings (9-15, 6-10) on Saturday, Feb. 20 at Brougham Pavilion. The game starts at 9 p.m. to accommodate a live ROOT Sports television broadcast. SPU won seven of the last eight encounters with the Yellowjackets. The Falcons won this year's first meeting 81-71 on Jan. 21 in Billings led by the combined 55 points of Mitch Penner (20), Brendan Carroll (18) and Gilles Dierickx (17). MSUB led 38-37 at halftime before SPU took control early in the second half.
 
Television Tidbits
The SPU men appear on television for the first time this season. ROOT Sports carries the game live throughout the Northwest with Brad Adam and Francis Williams calling the action. Last year's Falcons' home game versus Montana State Billings was televised by ROOT and SPU led wire-to-wire for an 81-59 victory led by since departed senior Matt Borton's 20-point, 10-rebound double-double.
 
Get Your Tickets
Individual tickets for SPU basketball games can be purchased at Brougham Pavilion (3414 Third Ave. W., Seattle 98119) on game day. Reserved seats are $9 and general admission tickets are priced at $6 for adults and $3 for students and senior citizens. SPU students and staff are admitted free with i.d.

 

Prolific Penner
Senior Mitch Penner netted his 1,000th career point on Jan. 28 at Alaska Fairbanks and currently ranks 19th among all-time SPU players with 1,164 points. The 6-foot-5 forward produced 24 points (1.6 ppg) in 2013, 281 (8.8) in 2014, 434 (13.6) in 2015 and has 425 points this season. He tops the current team with a 17.7-point average that includes ten 20-point performances and a career-high 37-point outburst against Concordia on Feb. 4. That was the highest scoring total for a Falcon since Chris Banchero had 41 on Dec. 18, 2010. Penner was honored as the Feb. 1 GNAC Player of the Week.
 
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 nationally.
 
Recent Recap
Immediately after an eight-game winning streak the Falcons lost three of four games, including their last two road outings. They fell 84-82 in overtime at home against currently top-ranked Western Oregon on Feb. 6. The last three games were played during a six-day span and all of them came on the road, beginning with an 81-71 win at Northwest Nazarene on Feb. 11 behind Mitch Penner's 27 points. SPU lost its last two, falling 71-68 at Central Washington on Feb. 13 and 67-63 at Saint Martin's on Feb. 16.
 
Dynamic Defense
The Falcons rank No. 2 nationally in 3-point field goal defense, limiting opponents to 28.7-percent shooting beyond the arc (139 of 484). They rank No. 16 among NCAA Division II teams in overall field goal defense at 40.2 percent and allowed just two foes to reach the 50-percent plateau (Western Oregon, 54.8% on Jan. 7 and Central Washington 50.9% on Feb. 13). SPU is the nation's 11th stingiest D-II team, yielding only 65.4 points per game.

 

Big Man on Campus
Gilles Dierickx stands out on campus as the first 7-footer in SPU history. He has stood tall on the court recently, posting double-doubles in three of his last five games with five of them overall. The senior center leads all Falcons with 6.7 rebounds per game and is second in scoring with an 11.7-point average. Dierickx boasts career highs of 25 points (at Western Oregon, Jan. 7) and 17 rebounds (vs. Northwest Nazarene, Jan. 16). He is a transfer from the University of Washington and a native of Ghent, Belgium.
 
Scouting Montana State Billings (9-15, 6-10 GNAC pending Thursday game at SMU)
> The Yellowjackets won three of their last five games entering Thursday's contest.
 
> The junior guard tandem of Jace Anderson (14.1 ppg) and Marc Matthews (14.0 ppg) fuel the MSUB offense that features five double-figure scorers.
 
> Saturday's clash features a battle between two of the hardest working players in the league. SPU's Bryce Leavitt ranks No. 7 among GNAC competitors, playing 31.8 minutes per game. The Yellowackets Kendall Denham ranks 10th at 31.7 minutes.
 
> The Falcons lead the series by a 38-30 margin and won the last three encounters.
 
> Jamie Stevens is in his fifth 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.
 
> Seventh-year SPU coach Ryan Looney has a 10-3 record against MSU Billings.
 
Close Encounters
The Falcons six GNAC losses came by a combined 21 points, an average of 3.5 per setback. Two of them were overtime defeats, both against currently No. 1-ranked Western Oregon.  The largest loss came by just six points, 96-90 in overtime at Western Oregon on Jan. 7.
 
Falcons Fast Facts
SPU has compiled winning streaks of nine and eight games this season ... The Falcons have an 11-1 record when scoring the game's first point and are 17-2 in games they led at halftime ... Five different Falcons have led the team in scoring at least once this season ... Junior center Joe Rasmussen's father Blair had a eight-year NBA career in Denver and Atlanta.
 
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), two conference regular-season crowns (2010, 2014) and playoff berths in each of his previous six seasons. He has a 161-49 record at SPU, including a 24-8 mark last year. 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 255-104 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
SPU completes its regular-season schedule with two home games. The Falcons host Western Washington on Feb. 25 and Simon Fraser on Feb. 27. Both games tip off at 7 p.m. in Brougham Pavilion.