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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11 –
(#22) Seattle Pacific at Northwest Nazarene, 6:00 p.m. PST (7 pm MST)
Johnson Sports Center / Nampa, Idaho
 
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13 –
(#22) Seattle Pacific at Central Washington, 7:00 p.m. PST
Nicholson Pavilion / Ellensburg, Wash.
 
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16 –
(#22) Seattle Pacific at Saint Martin's, 7:00 p.m. PST
Marcus Pavilion / Lacey, Wash.
 
• Webcast for all three games: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu/
• LiveStats for all three games: www.sidearmstats.com/spu/mbball
 
A frenetic stretch of three games in six days concludes the road portion of Seattle Pacific's 2016 regular-season men's basketball schedule. The 22nd-ranked Falcons (17-5, 10-4 GNAC) embark on a Great Northwest Athletic Conference journey that begins Thursday, Feb. 11 in Nampa, Idaho against Northwest Nazarene (7-13, 3-11) with a 6 p.m. Pacific Time (7 p.m. Mountain) game. SPU won the last 10 meetings versus the Crusaders.  The Falcons travel to Ellensburg, Wash. on Saturday, Feb. 13 for a 7 p.m. clash with rival Central Washington (14-5, 9-5). They never trailed on Jan. 14 en route to a 75-62 home victory over the Wildcats. The road slate ends in Lacey, Wash. with a Tuesday, Feb. 16 contest at 7 p.m. against Saint Martin's (10-12, 4-10). The Falcons blocked a season-high eight shots in this season's first meeting with SMU, a 65-46 win on Jan. 19 in Seattle.
 
Road Warriors
The Falcons are playing better on the road than at home this season, having forged an 8-1 record at enemy gyms compared to 8-3 in Brougham Pavilion. They can surpass their single-season record of 10 road wins (10-2) established in 2013. SPU averages nearly seven more points away (81.0 to 74.4). The Falcons shoot better (51.8% to 44.6%) on the road paced by leading scoring Mitch Penner, who averages nearly the same amount of points (17.4 to 17.2), but is 10-percent more accurate (54.5% to 44.2%) in hostile arenas. SPU won its last four road outings, last losing Jan. 7 at Western Oregon.
 


Prolific Penner
Senior Mitch Penner netted his 1,000th career point on Jan. 28 at Alaska Fairbanks and currently ranks 25th among all-time SPU players with 1,105 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 366 points this season. He tops the current team with a 17.4-point average that includes eight 20-point performances and a season-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.
 
Last Week
The Falcons split a pair of home games. Their winning streak stretched to eight games with a 76-54 victory over Concordia on Feb. 4 that was powered by Mitch Penner's career-high 37-point eruption. That streak stopped on Feb. 6 when third-ranked Western Oregon dealt an 84-82 overtime setback. Penner poured in 23 points and Gilles Dierickx posted his second straight double-double, with 10 points and 11 rebounds. SPU led by 14 at halftime versus the Wolves, who were led by Andy Avgi's 29 points.
 
Scouting Northwest Nazarene (7-13, 3-11 GNAC)
> The Crusaders lost their last four games.
 
> Bouna N'Diaye leads NNU with 14.5 points and 27 blocked shots.
 
> The Falcons lead the series 56-22, including wins in 10 straight and 20 of the last 22 encounters. They won 69-52 on Jan. 16 in Seattle.
 
> Seventh-year SPU coach Ryan Looney has a 13-1 record versus the Crusaders.
 
Scouting Central Washington (14-5, 9-5 GNAC): 
> The Wildcats won three of their last four games.
 
> Joseph Stroud paces the Central attack with 16.7 points per game and Gary Jacobs chips in 15.5 points and a team-leading 7.2 rebounds per outing.
 
> CWU leads the all-time series 72-52 despite losing 10 of the last 12 meetings. The Falcons won this season's first meeting 75-62 on Jan. 14 in Seattle.
 
> In his seventh SPU season, Ryan Looney has an 11-5 record against the Wildcats.
 
Scouting Saint Martin's (10-12, 4-10 GNAC): 
> The Saints were victorious in three of their last five games.
 
> Fred Jorg paces a balanced SMU attack with 11.4 points per game and is also SMU's leading rebounder with an average of 6.8 boards.
 
> The Falcons boast a 97-34 all-time series lead and won 31 of the last 34 matchups.
 
> Seventh-year SPU coach Ryan Looney has a 12-1 record against the Saints.
 
Dynamic Defense
The Falcons rank No. 2 nationally in 3-point field goal defense, limiting opponents to 27.3-percent shooting beyond the arc (112 of 410). They rank No. 8 among NCAA Division II teams in overall field goal defense at 39.6 percent and allowed just one opponent (Western Oregon, 54.8% on Jan. 7) to reach the 50-percent plateau. SPU is the nation's eighth stingiest D-II team, yielding just 64.9 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 both games last week. The senior center leads all Falcons with 6.8 rebounds per game and is second in scoring with an 11.8-point average. Dierickx boasts career highs of 25 points (at WOU, Jan. 7) and 17 rebounds (vs. NNU, Jan. 16). He is a transfer from Washington.
 
Falcons Fast Facts
SPU has compiled winning streaks of nine and eight games this season ... The Falcons four GNAC losses came by a combined 14 points with two overtimes ... SPU has a 16-2 record in games it led at halftime and is 15-1 when posting a superior shooting percentage to opponents ... 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.
 
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 12.9 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), two conference regular-season crowns (2010, 2014) and playoff berths in each of his previous six seasons. He has a 160-47 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 254-102 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
Following Tuesday's (Feb. 16) game at Saint Martin's the SPU men play their final three games at home, beginning on Feb. 20 against Montana State Billings. That game has a 9 p.m. start time to accommodate a live ROOT Sports television broadcast.