THE SCHEDULE
Tuesday, Jan. 31                 Seattle Pacific at Saint Martin's, 7:00 p.m.
                                                Marcus Pavilion / Lacey, Wash.
                                                Live Webcast        Live stats
 
Saturday, Feb. 4                  Seattle Pacific at Mont. St. Billings, 6:00 p.m. PST
                                                Alterowitz Gymnasium / Billings, Mont.
                                                Live Webcast        Live stats
 

        Weekly release, with complete updated stats (PDF)
 
SEATTLE – A change of venue – actually, a couple of them – helped the Seattle Pacific Falcons get back on track.
 
SPU left a four-game women's basketball losing streak behind with two road victories last week, and now hope to keep that momentum going this week as they concluded a stretch of four straight Great Northwest Athletic Conference games away from home.
 
The Falcons take a quick ride to Lacey on Tuesday night to take on Saint Martin's at 7:00 p.m. in Marcus Pavilion, their third contest in just six days. Then, they'll get two straight days to practice at home before flying out for Saturday's game at Montana State Billings. That one tips off at 6:00 p.m. Pacific time.
 
Seattle Pacific came from behind twice last week to put a pair of tallies into the win column. Coupled with other results from around the conference, the Falcons (15-5, 7-5 GNAC) begin this week in sole possession of fourth place ahead of Northwest Nazarene and Alaska Fairbanks. Both of those schools are one game behind in the standings.
 
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.

HOMECOMING IS UPCOMING
Homecoming and the culmination of Seattle Pacific's 125th anniversary celebration is next week.
 
On the basketball court, the SPU women will take on Simon Fraser in the first game of a women's-men's doubleheader, tipping off at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11. The Falcon men play Central Washington at 4:30 p.m.

 
Homecoming Saturday starts at 9:15 a.m. with the Falcon Hall of Fame induction ceremony at 9:15 a.m. It will take place in the Fine Center at First Free Methodist Church, which is located on 3rd Avenue West, directly across from campus. Honorees will include men's soccer coach Cliff McCrath, his 1978 NCAA national championship team, coach Virginia Husted, and SPU stalwart John Glancy. Tickets are $20, and those wishing to attend can register online at www.spu.edu/homecoming.
 
The day concludes with an all-athletics reunion in Brougham Pavilion following the basketball doubleheader.
 
BEST IN THE WEST
With four weeks left in the regular season, here are the 11 teams with the best chance of earning one of the eight available spots in the NCAA West Region tournament. The GNAC, CCAA and Pacific West tournament champions get automatic berths. Then, the next five highest teams among the non-champions in the NCAA regional rankings get the other berths. The highest ranked team among the eight qualifiers has the right to host the tournament.
 
The first set of NCAA Wes Region rankings will come out on Wednesday, Feb. 15.
 
Teams are listed in order of their overall winning percentage (second column):
 
School                                        Overall        Pct.            D2            Pct.        West         Pct.
1.  Alaska Anchorage       19-1    .950     19-0    1.000   17-0    1.000
2.  Cal Baptist            21-2    .913     21-2     .913   20-1     .952
3.  Simon Fraser           19-3    .864     19-3     .864   17-3     .850
4.  Western Washington     17-3    .850     17-3     .850   15-3     .833
5.  UC San Diego           16-3    .842     16-3     .842   15-3     .833
5.  Point Loma Nazarene    16-3    .842     14-3     .824   14-3     .824
7.  Hawaii Pacific         13-3    .813     13-3     .813   12-2     .857
8.  SEATTLE PACIFIC        15-5    .750     14-5     .737   13-5     .722
9.  Cal State East Bay     13-7    .650     13-6     .684   13-6     .684
10. Chico State            12-7    .632     10-6     .625   10-6     .625
11. Cal St. San Brnrdno.   10-6    .625     10-6     .625   10-6     .625
 
SO WHAT'S THE STORY THIS WEEK?
-- The Falcons trailed by eight in the first half when Saint Martin's came to Brougham Pavilion on Jan. 3, the first game on the 2017 calendar. But they closed the half on a 20-8 run, took a 34-30 lead by halftime, and never trailed again on the way to a 72-59 victory.
-- Junior forward Erica Pagano set a career scoring high in that game with 15 points.
-- The Falcons have 11 games in which they have shot 80 percent or better at the foul line. They did so against both Saint Martin's (.867 on 13 of 15) and Billings (.857, 12 of 14) in Seattle.
-- Last time against MSUB, Seattle Pacific led for all but 17 seconds. The Yellowjackets took a 14-13 lead late in the first quarter, but a Courtney Hollander 3-pointer with five seconds left in the period put the Falcons in front for good on the way to a 67-50 win.
-- With a season sweep of Central Washington already in the books, the Falcons have a chance to polish off two more sweeps if they can win this week.
-- Last year, SPU split with both Saint Martin's and Montana State Billings, each team winning on its home court.
-- The Falcons have split three of the last six season series against the Saints, and four of the last six against the Yellowjackets.
-- Senior guard Brianne Lasconia scored a career-high 17 points last January in Lacey.
-- In the 2016 game at Billings, the Falcons started fast, building a 15-point first-quarter lead before the Jackets came up with a big fourth quarter to win, 61-50.
-- Courtney Hollander and Jordan McPhee each have two games of 20 or more points this season.
-- The Falcons are in the Division II top 10 this week for assists per game (No. 9 at 17.7), total assists (No. 10 at 353) and free throw percentage (No. 10 at 77.8).
-- Seattle Pacific is 6-2 outside of Brougham Pavilion, including 4-2 in true road games.
-- Coach Julie Heisey is 19-5 against Saint Martin's and coach Tim Healy. She has a 14-6 record vs. Billings and coach Kevin Woodin.
 
 
SCOUTING THE SAINT MARTIN'S SAINTS: 7-9, 5-5 GNAC (tie 4th)
All-time series: SPU leads, 51-16. Current series streak: SPU won 2. Last time: SPU 72, Saint Martin's 59 (Jan. 3, 2017 at Seattle). Saints on the Web. Saints in a nutshell: Saint Martin's will be trying to stop a six-game losing streak. The team won four of its first six games, but has just one victory in its last 14 game, a 64-57 decision at home vs. Montana State Billings on Jan. 7. Leading the scoring parade is 6-1 junior forward Elin Johansson, who has been with the Swedish national team since she was 15, and played for her country in the 2014 World Championships. Johansson averages 13.8 points per game, and is the team's leading rebounder at 6.0 per game and shoots 50.5 percent from the field. She had a team-high 18 points earlier in January against SPU. While Johansson is the only Saints player who averages more than 10 per night, two others tallied in double-digits in Seattle: 5-6 junior guard Hannah Reynolds (14) and 5-11 freshman forward / guard Mercedes Victor (10). Reynolds went for 20 points in last Saturday's 86-77 loss at Northwest Nazarene.
 
SCOUTING THE MSU BILLINGS YELLOWJACKETS: 6-14, 3-9 GNAC (tie 8th)
All-time series: SPU leads, 25-20. Current series streak: SPU won 2. Last time: SPU 67, MSUB 50 (Jan. 5, 2017 at Seattle). Yellowjackets on the Web. Yellowjackets in a nutshell: Billings begins the week seeking to snap a four-game losing streak. Points were tough to come by last week in Alaska, as the Jackets fell 82-43 to Alaska Anchorage and 86-42 to Alaska Fairbanks. Senior 6-foot forward Tiana Hanson ranks No. 4 in the GNAC with her 15.7 scoring average. She led the team with 16 in the Jan. 5 game at SPU on 5-of-8 shooting. Hanson is hitting 47 percent for the season, and is one of the best free throw shooters in the GNAC (tied for No. 5) at 85.1 percent (103 of 121), and pulls down 6.8 rebounds (No. 5 in the conference). She has three double-doubles for the year. Rylee Kane, a 5-6 junior guard, chips in 12 points a game. Billings averages a GNAC-low 14.1 turnovers per game, one of two teams below 15 (Seattle Pacific is the other at 14.9).
 
FALCONS REPLAY
-- Jordan McPhee scored seven of her game-high 20 points during the fourth quarter, as the SPU halted its four-game losing streak by beating Northwest Nazarene in Idaho, 68-63.
-- Courtney Hollander two clinching free throws with 10.3 seconds left on Saturday night, and Seattle Pacific rallied from seven points down early in the fourth quarter to beat Central Washington in Ellensburg, 54-51.
 
COMEBACK KIDS
During a long season, some resiliency is in adverse situations is a must, and the Falcons showed a considerable amount of it last week.
 
On Thursday at Northwest Nazarene, Seattle Pacific was down by seven points at halftime, 38-31, after hitting just 10 of 30 from the floor, including just 4 of 11 from 3-point range, through the first 20 minutes. Then, to start the second half, the Falcons buried five straight shots in the paint – nothing far than three feet in front of the hoop – and not only caught up, but went ahead by three.
 
The lead would go back and forth several times before SPU put away a 68-63 victory.
 
Just two night later in Ellensburg, SPU again was down at halftime, albeit by just one at 24-23. That margin grew to seven points at the outset of the fourth quarter before a 13-2 scoring run propelled the Falcons to a 54-51 win.
 
Seattle Pacific has trailed at halftime in six games this season, and has come back to win three.
 
ANOTHER 500TH IS CLOSE AT HAND
Senior guard Brianne Lasconia is just three points away from the 500th of her career. Averaging a career-best 7.1 per game this season, she will have an excellent chance to reach that mark on Tuesday at Saint Martin's.

 

If she does, Lasconia will become the fourth Falcon this year to surpass 500. Courtney Hollander did it first, reaching it on Nov. 22 at home with a 17-point outing against Evergreen State. Since then, she has moved past 600, entering this week with 674.
 
Then, it was Jordan McPhee's turn. She pushed past 500 with eight points at home against Saint Martin's on Jan. 3. She very likely could pass 600 this week, coming in with 585.
 
Hannah Rodrigues got there on Jan. 5 with six points against Montana State Billings in Brougham Pavilion. She starts the week with 513.
 
MARKING SOME OTHER MILESTONES
In the making
100th assist           Jordan McPhee (has 97)
100th point             Jaylee Albert (has 93)
100th steal             Jordan McPhee (has 98)
                                  Hannah Rodrigues (has 87)
400th point             Stacey Lukasiewicz (has 380)
400th rebound      Hannah Rodrigues (has 398)
500th point            Brianne Lasconia (has 497)
 
Made last week
None

LITTLE THINGS MEAN A LOT
Those "little things" – such as passing the ball and taking care of it – continue to add up.
 
In last Thursday's game at Northwest Nazarene, Seattle Pacific had assists on 18 of its 23 baskets. For the season, the Falcons have earned 353 assists on 498 baskets – a percentage of 70.1 percent. That is the highest assist-to-field goal ratio in the conference. Next in line is Central Washington at 67.6 percent (300 assists, 444 baskets), followed closely by Alaska Anchorage at 66.5 percent (413 assists, 621 total baskets).
 
A year ago through 20 games, SPU had earned just 264 assists on 456 baskets – 57.9 percent.
 
The Falcons turned it over just 10 times at Central. They have 297 for the season, a mere 14.9 per game. Last season with 20 games in the book, the Falcons had 352 turnovers, 17.6 per game.
 
DOUBLE-DOUBLE DELIGHTS
Junior forward Courtney Hollander logged her fourth double-double of the season last week, with 17 points and 11 rebounds at Central Washington. The Falcons have five for the season.
 
COURTNEY HOLLANDER (4 season / 13 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
17 pts-11 reb at Central Washington, Jan. 28
 
JORDAN McPHEE (1 season / 2 career)
14 pts-10 reb at Western Oregon, Dec. 1
 
STACEY LUKASIEWICZ (0 season / 1 career)
 
NATIONALLY SPEAKING (TOP 50)
Among the 307 programs in D2, SPU is …
-- 9th in assists per game (17.7)      
-- 10th in total assists (353)
-- 10th in free throw shooting (.778)
-- 15th in assist / turnover ratio (1.19)
-- 17th in scoring defense (56.4)
-- 48th in total steals (197)
-- 50th in scoring margin (+11.0)
 
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 Alaska Anchorage Seawolves started the second half of GNAC play the same way they finished the first half: with two wins. UAA is still perfect in conference play at 12-0, is 19-1 overall, and has won 15 in a row. With just one win this week, Anchorage can become the first team to clinch a berth in the GNAC Tournament. Western Washington (17-3, 11-1 GNAC) and Simon Fraser (19-4, 10-2 GNAC) potentially could have berths locked up by the end of the week, as well.
 
UC San Diego (16-3, 12-1 conference) extended its winning streak to 12 and remained two games ahead of Cal State East Bay (13-7, 10-3) in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. The Tritons and Pioneers will meet on UCSD's home court in La Jolla this Saturday. Cal State San Bernardino (10-6 overall) and Chico State (12-7) remain as contenders for an eventual NCAA West Region berth.
 
Cal Baptist keeps rolling along in the Pacific West. The Lancers have won 19 straight, are 21-2 overall and 13-0 in the conference, 3 ½ games ahead of Hawaii Pacific (13-3, 10-1). Point Loma Nazarene (17-3, 11-2) is a game behind the Sharks. CBU is home against Hawaii Pacific on Thursday, and closes the regular season at home against Point Loma. HPU and Point Loma play in Honolulu on Feb. 16.
 
UP NEXT
The Falcons are back home next week to take part in the Homecoming and SPU 125th anniversary celebrations. On Thursday night, they'll face Western Washington at 7:30 p.m. in Brougham Pavilion. That will be the second half of a doubleheader, preceded by the SPU men against Northwest Nazarene at 5:15 in game with big GNAC Tournament implications. On Homecoming Saturday, the women host Simon Fraser at 2:00 p.m. followed ty the men against Central Washington at 4:30.
 
 
GNAC STANDINGS
                                                     Conference          Overall
Alaska Anchorage         12-0         19-1
Western Washington       11-1         17-3
Simon Fraser             10-2         19-3
Seattle Pacific           7-5         15-5
Alaska Fairbanks          6-6         10-9
Northwest Nazarene        6-6          8-10
Concordia                 4-8          7-13
Central Washington        3-9          8-12
Western Oregon            3-9          7-12
Montana State Billings    3-9          6-14
Saint Martin's            1-11         5-15