THE SCHEDULE
Thursday, Jan. 10              Seattle Pacific at Simon Fraser, 7:00 p.m.
                                                West Gym / Burnaby, B.C.
                                                Live Webcast        Live stats
 
Saturday, Jan. 12              Seattle Pacific at Western Washington, 7:00 p.m.
                                                Whatcom CC Pavilion / Bellingham, Wash.
                                                Live Webcast        Live stats
 
 
        Weekly release, with complete updated stats (PDF)
 
SEATTLE – The Seattle Pacific Falcons say they're looking forward to a tough women's basketball test.
 
OK then … here it comes.
 
After a month at home, the Falcons take their nationally ranked show onto the road this week in a bid to stay near the top of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings. SPU visits Simon Fraser on Thursday in Burnaby, B.C., and Western Washington in Bellingham on Saturday.
 
Both games tip off at 7:00 p.m.
 
The Falcons, Clan, and Vikings come into the week deadlocked for second place in the standings with 5-1 conference records and overall win totals in the double digits: 13-1 for SPU, 14-2 for Simon Fraser, and 11-3 for Western Washington.
 
FOLLOW IT LIVE
Both games will have a live Webcast and live stats available. The Webcast will be through Stretch Internet, the official Internet provider of the Great Northwest Athletic conference. The appropriate links can be found at the top of this story.
 
HEADING TO BELLINGHAM?
SPU fans planning to make the drive north for Saturday's game against arch-rival Western Washington will need to head to Whatcom Community College. The Vikings are using that school's Pavilion for the second year while renovation continues WWU's Carver Gymnasium.
 
Click on this link for driving directions as if leaving from the Seattle Pacific campus.
 
COULD BE A WEST REGIONAL SNEAK PEEK WEEK
Having one national-caliber opponent on the docket is one thing. But in preparing for Simon Fraser and Western, the Falcons find themselves with two this week. And even though some ultimately is going to lose, all three schools are setting themselves up very nicely for a spot in the NCAA West Regionals come March.
 
In the Women's Basketball Coaches Association national poll that was released on Tuesday, SPU moved up one spot to No. 14. Simon Fraser received votes and is No. 28 overall.
 
The D2SIDA national poll, voted upon by sports information directors around the country, finds Seattle Pacific at No. 11 and Western Washington at No. 20, and Simon Fraser at the top of the "others receiving votes" list (No. 26).
 
Seattle Pacific remains No. 2 in the D2SIDA West Region poll that come out Monday. Western is No. 4, and Simon Fraser is No. 5.
 




SO WHAT'S THE STORY THIS WEEK?
-- Thursday's game at Simon Fraser begins the second half of SPU's 28-game regular-season schedule.
-- The most recent time the Falcons won 13 of their first 14 games was in 2014-15. They ultimately went 14-1 that season before taking their second loss.
-- Included in that hot start were wins at Simon Fraser (61-56) and at Western Washington (74-64).
-- In fact, the last two games in SFU's West Gym had wound up 61-56 in Seattle Pacific's favor.
-- Last year's contest went to overtime after a dramatic Falcon comeback from a 19-point third-quarter deficit.
-- Speaking of overtime, two of the last three games against Western Washington have gone an extra five minutes. That included last year's contest in Seattle, won by the Vikings, 70-67.
-- The Falcons are back up to No. 2 in NCAA Division II for fewest average points allowed per game, now at 52.0. The only team better? Conference rival Alaska Anchorage at 51.0.
-- That is one of five categories in which SPU is in the D2 top 10. The others are free throw shooting (No. 5 at .789), assists per game (No. 6 at 18.7), assist / turnover ratio (No. 8 at 1.33) and total assists (No. 9 at 262).
-- Even with their impressive record, the Falcons have no one among the GNAC's top 10 scorers. But junior forward Courtney Hollander is close, ranking No. 11 at 13.1 points per game. Hollander also ranks No. 3 in rebounding at 7.8.
-- Seattle Pacific and Simon Fraser both routed South region powerhouse Nova Southeastern before Christmas. The Falcons won, 75-50, and the Clan cruised, 76-56.
-- SPU and Western Washington played in a pair of preseason tournaments together (albeit not against each other), so have four common non-conference opponents. Both beat Fresno Pacific, Humboldt State, and UC San Diego. The Falcons also downed Azusa Pacific (that one at Whatcom CC, 75-49), but the Cougars got the better of WWU, 70-63.
-- Coach Julie Heisey is 7-8 against Simon Fraser and coach Bruce Langford. She is 10-13 vs. Western Washington and coach Carmen Dolfo.
 
SCOUTING THE SIMON FRASER CLAN: 14-2, 5-1 GNAC (tie 2nd)
All-time series: Simon leads, 19-10. Current series streak: SPU won 1. Last time: SPU 61, Simon 56 OT (Feb. 13, 2016 at Burnaby, B.C.). Clan on the Web.
Clan in a nutshell: Simon Fraser's only losses are to nationally ranked Cal Baptist (84-77) and Alaska Anchorage (75-59), both on the road. The Clan are riding a six-game winning streak and are coming off a 101-89 shootout victory at Northwest Nazarene last Saturday. Setting the scoring pace is 6-foot-1 senior forward Meg Wilson, whose 13.4 average ranks No. 8 in the GNAC. Also posting double-digit averages are 5-10 junior guard Elisa Homer (11.9), 5-7 senior point guard Ellen Kent (11.4), and 5-11 freshman forward Ozi Nwabuko (10.1). Even with her diminutive size, Kett also leads Simon Fraser on the boards at 5.5 per game, Not to be overlooked as a scoring threat is 6-2 junior forward Rachel Fradgley. She averages 8.5 points per game, but went for double-figures both times against SPU last year (14, and then 10). Nwabuko is incredibly accurate from the field, hitting 63.5 percent of her shots (66 of 104).
 
SCOUTING THE WESTERN WASHINGTON VIKINGS: 11-3, 5-1 GNAC (tie 2nd)
All-time series: WWU leads, 56-29. Current series streak: WWU won 2. Last time: WWU 60, SPU 43 (Feb. 11, 2016 at Bellingham). Vikings on the Web.
Vikings in a nutshell: Western Washington is on a five-game winning streak, having prevailed in a pair of close ones on the road last week: 86-81 at Northwest Nazarene after trailing by five to start the fourth quarter, and 60-53 at Central Washington. The one to watch for the Vikings is Division II national scoring leader Taylor Peacocke. The 5-foot-9 senior guard is pouring in the points at a rate of 23.2 per game. Only twice in 14 games has she not led the Vikings in scoring. In the 12 games that she has led, her totals have ranged from 18 to 30 points. She is shooting 47.6 percent from the field, including 44 percent from 3-point range. But Peacocke is far from the only Western weapon. Kiana Gandy, a 5-10 senior forward, averages 13.4 per game. Senior forward Tia Briggs, who stands 6-1, averages 10.6 points, a team-leading 6.6 rebounds, and shoots 53.2 percent. In fact, WWU has three regulars who top 50 percent shooting. In addition to Briggs, junior forward Hannah Stipanovich is at 51.4 (a 9.3 scoring average), and sophomore forward-center Nikki Corbett is at 58.4 (7.6 points per game).
 
FALCONS REPLAY
-- Courtney Hollander pumped in 21 points, getting nine of those to spark a second-quarter rally, and Erica Pagano added a career-high 15 last Tuesday, helping Seattle Pacific shook off its first loss of the season and beat Saint Martin's, 72-59.
-- Hollander poured in 17 points, and Julia Haining added a career-high 14 last Thursday, leading SPU past Montana State Billings, 67-50.
 
HALFTIME REPORT
With 14 games now in the books, Seattle Pacific is now exactly halfway through its 28-game regular-season schedule.
 
Here's how they compare to last year through 14 games. (Note that the 2015-16 schedule was 27 games, so 14 was just beyond the halfway point).
 
Stat                      2016-17             2015-16
Record                   13-1                        6-8
Points                     70.7                        64.0
Points allowed     52.0                        62.0
Rebounds             39.4                        39.7
Assists                   18.7                        13.1
Steals                     11.3                          7.4
Blocks                      2.6                          2.7
Turnovers              14.1                        16.9
FG percent            .423                        .390
3-pt percent          .345                        .294
FT percent            .789                        .723
 
Here's a comparison of individual leaders through 14 games
Scoring
2016-17                 Courtney Hollander 184 / 13.1
2015-16                 Jordan McPhee 164 / 11.7
 
Rebounding
2016-17                 Courtney Hollander 109 / 7.8
2015-16                 Courtney Hollander 107 / 7.6
 
FG shooting
2016-17                 Julia Haining 34-56 / .607
2015-16                 Molly Grager 35-72 / .486
 

3-point shooting
2016-17                 Rachel Shim 16-39 / .410
2015-16                 Lindsay Lee 13-29 / .448
 
FT shooting
2016-17                 Courtney Hollander 24-27 / .889
2015-16                 Couirtney Hollander 31-36 / .861

 

Total assists
2016-17                 Stacey Lukasiewicz and Rachel Shim 37
2015-16                 Stacey Lukasiewicz 35
 
Total blocks
2016-17                 Jordan McPhee 8
2015-16                 Molly Grager 13
 
Total steals
2016-17                 Jordan McPhee 27
2015-16                 Jordan McPhee 30
 
STEPPING UP AT THE STRIPE
It wasn't necessarily a New Year's resolution. But since returning from Christmas break, the Falcons have been nothing but solid from the free throw line.
 
SPU came back from the holidays with a .769 percentage from the line – a decent enough mark, but still just No. 4 in the GNAC.
 
In the four games since then, the Falcons have hit .842, connecting on 48 of 57. That included .857 against both Central Washington and Montana State Billings, and .867 against Saint Martin's.
 
As a result, SPU's season percentage is up to .789 – high enough to rank No. 5 in all of Division II, after ranking No. 13 last week at .777. However, it's still just No. 2 in the GNAC, as Alaska Fairbanks is hitting .806.
 
The Falcons have been above 80 percent in nine of their 14 games.
 
WHAT IF THEY COULD PLAY ALL THE WAY?
 

During the course of a 40-minute game, everybody gets a breather. Matter of fact, the Falcons who usually logs the most time on the court is junior forward Courtney Hollander, at an average of 26.9 minutes.
 
But, if they could play all 40 minutes, what would some of the Falcon regulars be averaging?
 
 

In the case of Hollander, it would be a double-double of 19.6 points and 11.6 rebounds, well above her actual numbers of 13.1 and 7.8. For junior guard Jordan McPhee, it would be 17.7 points and 8.1 boards (10.7 and 4.9 actual).
 
Off the bench, senior guard Brianne Lasconia's numbers come out to 16.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per 40 minutes (actual numbers are 6.6, 1.9, and 2.0), and sophomore center Julia Haining would have a double-double average of 17.8 points and 13.3 rebounds (5.7 and 4.3 actual).
 
DOUBLE-DOUBLE DELIGHTS
The Falcons did not log any double-doubles last week. They have four for the season.
 
COURTNEY HOLLANDER (3 season / 12 career)
13 pts-14 reb vs. UC San Diego, Nov. 18
10 pts-11 reb at Concordia. Dec. 3
10 pts-11 reb vs. Central Washington, Dec. 29
 
JORDAN McPHEE (1 season / 2 career)
14 pts-10 reb at Western Oregon, Dec. 1
 
STACEY LUKASIEWICZ (0 season / 1 career)
 
MARKING A MILESTONE
Courtney Hollander, Jordan McPhee, and Hannah Rodrigues all passed scoring milestones last week. Hollander tallied her 600th career point; McPhee and Rodrigues both moved past 500 points.
 
In the making
100th assist           Jordan McPhee (has 86)
100th point             Jaylee Albert (has 93)
100th steal            Jordan McPhee (has 91)
                                 Hannah Rodrigues (has 85)
200th point            Rachel Shim (has 198)
                                 Lindsay Lee (has 179)
400th point            Stacey Lukasiewicz (has 353)
400th rebound      Hannah Rodrigues (has 387)
500th point            Brianne Lasconia (has 448)
600th point            Courtney Hollander (has 625)
 
Made last week
100th rebound      Julia Haining (has 102)
500th point            Jordan McPhee (has 510)
                                 Hannah Rodrigues (has 503)
600th point            Courtney Hollander (has 625)
 
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
Among the 318 programs in D2, SPU is …
-- 2nd in scoring defense (52.0)
-- 5th in free throw shooting (.789)
-- 6th in assists per game (18.7)      
-- 8th in assist / turnover ratio (1.33)
-- 9th in total assists (262)
-- 14th in scoring margin (+18.7)
-- 26th in field goal defense (.350)
-- 27th in total steals (158)
-- 31st in steals per game (11.3)
-- 37th in fewest turnovers per game (14.1)
-- 45th in rebound margin (+6.2)      
 
Click on this link to see how the Falcons stack up nationally in all statistical categories. Click on this link to see how other GNAC teams and players rank.
 
AROUND THE WEST
The list of unbeaten teams in GNAC play is now down to one, and that is Alaska Anchorage. The Seawolves are 6-0 in the GNAC, 13-1 overall. Northwest Nazarene dropped both of its games last week, 86-81 to Western Washington, and 101-89 to Simon Fraser, both in Idaho. That leaves the Seawolves on top, the Crusaders in fifth, and a three-way deadlock with SPU, Simon Fraser, and Western Washington in between.
 
UC San Diego continues to emerge as the best team in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. The Tritons (7-1) have a one-game lead over Cal State Los Angeles. They also have by far the best overall record at 11-3. Cal State San Bernardino is 6-4, 3-3 in conference play.
 
Cal Baptist has extended its winning streak to 15 games, is 15-2 overall, and remains the only undefeated team in Pacific West Conference play at 6-0. But Point Loma Nazarene is right on the Lancers' heels with a 6-1 conference record and 12-2 overall mark. Hawaii Pacific (7-3 overall) and Academy of Art (8-5) both remain very much in the Pac West title hunt.
 
UP NEXT
The Falcons are back home next week, but it certainly won't be any kind of respite. They play host to No. 7-ranked Alaska Anchorage on Thursday, Jan. 19, at 7:00 p.m. in Brougham. The Seawolves have beaten SPU six straight times. Then, after dealing with D2 leading scorer Taylor Peacocke this week, SPU gets to deal with the country's third-leading scorer next week when Jordan Wilson and Alaska Fairbanks visit on Saturday the 21st at 2:00 p.m. That will be the first game of a doubleheader, followed by the SPU men against Montana State Billings at 4:30 p.m.
 
 
GNAC STANDINGS
                                                Conference          Overall
Alaska Anchorage                     6-0                     13-1
Seattle Pacific                             5-1                     13-1
Simon Fraser                              5-1                     14-2
Western Washington                 5-1                     11-3
Northwest Nazarene                 4-2                       6-6
Alaska Fairbanks                       2-4                      6-7
Western Oregon                         2-4                       6-7
Central Washington                  1-5                       6-8
Saint Martin's                             1-5                       5-9
Concordia                                  1-5                       4-10
Montana State Billings            1-5                       4-10