THE SCHEDULE
Thursday, Feb. 9                 Western Washington at Seattle Pacific, 7:30 p.m.
                                                Brougham Pavilion (2,650) / Seattle, Wash.
                                                Live Webcast        Live stats
 
Saturday, Feb. 11               Simon Fraser at Seattle Pacific, 2:00 p.m.
                                                Brougham Pavilion (2,650) / Seattle, Wash.
                                                Live Webcast        Live stats
 
 
        Weekly release, with complete updated stats (PDF)
 
SEATTLE – When they left town for the start of a four-game road trip in late January, the Seattle Pacific Falcons were on a four-game women's basketball losing streak.
 
This week, they're back, and have turned things around – turned them around as in a four-game winning streak.
 
SPU will try to keep that run of success going in Brougham Pavilion when two of the top Great Northwest Athletic Conference teams come to town as part of Homecoming Week. On Thursday, the 21st-ranked and arch-rival Western Washington Vikings visit for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.
 
Then on Homecoming Saturday, Simon Fraser will come calling for a 2:00 p.m. contest.
 
Both games will be part of doubleheaders. On Thursday, the SPU men face Northwest Nazarene at 5:15 p.m. The Saturday twin bill has the men playing Central Washington at 4:30 p.m. Spots in next month's conference tournament will be at stake for the Falcons and their two opponents.
 
FOLLOW IT LIVE
A live Webcast and live stats available from all of this week's action. The Webcast will be through Stretch Internet, the official Internet provider of the Great Northwest Athletic conference, and will feature Falcons announcer Tom Gialanella on the play-by-play. The appropriate links can be found at the top of this story.
 
HOMECOMING IS HERE
This week's annual Homecoming events will mark the culmination of Seattle Pacific's 125th anniversary celebration.
 
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.
 
Saturday concludes with an all-athletics reunion in Brougham Pavilion following the basketball doubleheader.
 
TICKET TALK
Tickets will be available at the door of Brougham Pavilion, with windows opening 60 minutes prior to tip-off time. Prices are $9 for adult reserved, $6 for adult general admission, and $3 for youths, students with identification, and senior citizens age 65 and older. For doubleheaders, one ticket is good for both games. SPU students, faculty and staff members with proper school identification are free.
 
FALCON THURSDAYS
With GNAC play now in full swing, fans will be encouraged to wear Seattle Pacific gear to all games, but especially on Falcon Thursdays. Throughout the academic year, students, faculty, and staff on campus will be showing their maroon colors to celebrate Falcon Thursdays.
 
MAGIC NUMBER TIME
With just six games left in the regular season, the Falcons are well positioned to return to the GNAC Tournament after falling one win short last year. The top six teams qualify. SPU (9-5) is currently fourth. The closest team to SPU not currently the top six is Concordia, sitting seventh at 5-9.
 
The best the Cavaliers can finish is 11-9. Therefore, any combination of Falcon wins and Cavalier losses adding up to three will secure a berth for Seattle Pacific. If that happens, Concordia still could get in by catching either Alaska Fairbanks or Northwest Nazarene, but would not be able to catch SPU.
 
BEST IN THE WEST
With three 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 West 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      21-1    .955   21-0   1.000     19-0  1.000
  2. Cal Baptist           24-2    .923   24-2    .923     23-1   .958
  3. Western Washington    19-3    .864   19-3    .864     17-3   .850
  3. Point Loma Nazarene   19-3    .864   17-3    .850     17-3   .850
  5. Simon Fraser          19-3    .833   19-3    .864     17-3   .850
  6. UC San Diego          17-4    .810   17-4    .810     16-4   .800
  7. Hawaii Pacific        15-4    .789   15-4    .789     14-3   .823
  8. Seattle Pacific       17-5    .773   16-5    .762     15-5   .750
  9. Chico State           14-7    .667   14-7    .667     14-7   .667
  9. Cal St.San Brnrdno.   12-6    .667   12-6    .667     12-6   .667
 11. Cal St. East Bay      14-8    .636   14-7    .667     14-7   .667
 

SO WHAT'S THE STORY THIS WEEK?
-- SPU did not trail nor was it ever tied during last week's games at Saint Martin's or at Montana State Billings. The Falcons opened with a 3-pointer against the Saints, and scored the first six points against the Yellowjackets.
-- The four-game winning streak is Seattle Pacific's second-longest of the season, exceeded only by the 11-0 run to start the year.
-- With Western Washington coming in ranked No. 21 in this week's WBCA coaches poll, it will mark the third time this season the Falcons have played a nationally ranked opponent. They are 1-1 so far, beating UC San Diego, 62-45, but losing to Alaska Anchorage, 71-62.
-- SPU's most recent win against Western came two years ago on Brougham, a 72-68 decision.
-- Last year, those two teams went to overtime in Seattle, with the Vikings prevailing, 70-67.
 

-- Junior guard Jordan McPhee no doubt remembers that night for two reasons – one good, one bad: She scored a career-high 28 points, but then tweaked her ankle at the end of regulation time and wound up missing the next four games.
-- McPhee had a season-high 20 points in last month's 71-61 loss at Simon Fraser, a total she matched on Jan. 26 in a 68-63 victory at Northwest Nazarene.
-- Points were harder to come by two nights later at Western, as the top scorer was Brianne Lasconia with 10.
-- Last week's two consecutive games of better than 50 percent shooting from the field (.519 at Saint Martin's, .648 at Billings) was the first time the Falcons had pulled that off since early in the 2014-15 season. They hit 51.7 percent (31 of 60) on Nov. 26, 2014 against San Francisco State, followed up by 56.4 percent (31 of 55) on Dec. 4 against Alaska Fairbanks. Both of those were at home.
-- SPU will hope some of that carries over into Thursday. Last month in Bellingham, the team suffered through its worst shooting night of the season at 31.3 percent (20 of 64). That included a season-low 12.5 percent (2 of 16) from 3-point territory.
-- The Falcons are in the national top 10 in three categories this week: free throw percentage (No. 8 at 78.2), No. 10 in assists per game (17.8), and No. 10 in total assists (392).
-- Saturday's game at Billings marked the third time this season SPU outscored an opponent in each of the four quarters.
-- With the recent wins at Central Washington, Saint Martin's and Billings, Seattle Pacific now has swept three season series. This week, it'll be going for season splits against WWU and Simon Fraser.
-- Coach Julie Heisey is 10-14 vs. Western Washington and coach Carmen Dolfo, and 7-9 vs. Simon Fraser and coach Bruce Langford.
 
SCOUTING THE WESTERN WASHINGTON VIKINGS: 19-3, 13-1 GNAC (2ND)
All-time series: WWU leads, 57-29. Current series streak: WWU won 3. Last time: WWU 71, SPU 53 (Jan. 14, 2017 at Bellingham). Vikings on the Web.
Vikings in a nutshell: Western has won 13 straight, its last loss being a one-pointer to Angelo State on Dec. 17 in a pre-Christmas tournament. Taylor Peacocke was the leading scorer in all of NCAA Division II the last time Western and SPU squared off, on Jan. 14 in Bellingham. She's still in that lofty No. 1 spot, now at 22.8 points per game. The Falcons kept the 5-foot-9 senior guard in check that night, limiting her to 11 points on 5-of-18 shooting. But 6-1 senior forward Tia Briggs more than made up for it, who more than doubled her scoring average by dumping in 25 points. Briggs hit a decent 7-of-13 from the field, but kept finding ways to get to the foul line, where she was a deadly-accurate 11 of 13. She now averages 11.7 points and 6.6 rebounds. In fact, when it comes to shooting, Western is accurate from all over the court, ranking No. 9 nationally from the field (.463), No. 3 at the line (.809) and No. 12 from 3-point range (.379). Briggs shoots .513 from the floor, and Peacocke's .442 percentage from downtown is No. 8 in the country.
 
SCOUTING THE SIMON FRASER CLAN: 20-4, 11-3 GNAC (3rd)
All-time series: Simon leads, 20-10. Current series streak: Simon won 1. Last time: Simon 71, SPU 61 (Jan. 12, 2017 at Burnaby, B.C). Clan on the Web.
Clan in a nutshell: After leading for most of the game last Saturday, Simon Fraser was outscored 13-6 in overtime and fell short of Central Washington, 73-66. Even so, the Clan have 20 wins, one of just a dozen teams (out of 307) in Division II to have reached total. Senior 6-foot-1 forward Meg Wilson is one of three player scoring in double figures, averaging 14.4 points per game (No. 7 in the conference), and she went for 14 when the teams met last month in British Columbia. The real damage in that game came from 5-7 senior point guard Ellen Kett, who tallied 23 and got more than half of those (12) from behind the arc. She averages 12.4 and just recorded Simon Fraser's highest output of the season with 30 in last Thursday's 99-90 victory against Northwest Nazarene. But Kett doubly dangerous because she can pass it as well as she can shoot it, with a GNAC-leading 6.8 assists per game. Junior 5-10 guard Elisa Homer scores at a rate of 11.1 per game.
 
FALCONS REPLAY
-- Courtney Hollander recorded her second straight double-double, Rachel Shim tied her career high with 14 points, and SPU's suffocating defense – especially during the first half – set the tone for most of the night in a 72-51 rout of Saint Martin's last Tuesday in Lacey.
-- Shim scored 13 points, one of five players in double figures, and Brianne Lasconia netted her 500th career point as the Falcons routed Montana State Billings last Saturday on the road, 98-57. It was the highest scoring output for SPU (17-5, 9-5 GNAC) since a 106-62 victory against Dixie State in Seattle on Jan. 27, 2007.
 
ANOTHER REWRITE FOR WRIGHT
Since returning to action this year after missing last season with a knee injury, redshirt sophomore guard Madison Wright gradually has been meeting or beating the career highs she set as a freshman at Division I Southern Utah in 2014-15.
 

Wright (Spokane, Wash. / Gonzaga Prep HS) tied one last Saturday when she scored nine points at Montana State Billings. Her other occasion with that many was on Nov. 29, 2014 against New Mexico Highlands.
 
In SPU's game against Evergreen State on Nov. 22, Wright set new career highs with five assists (previous was four on two occasions while at Southern Utah) and four steals (previous was three for SUU against Portland State). In that same Evergreen game, she tied her career high with five rebounds, first set with the Thunderbirds in 2015 against Northern Colorado).
 
The only mark she has yet to match or beat is blocked shots. She had one in three different games with Southern Utah, most recently in March 2015 against Sacramento State.

UNPLUGGING THE SURGES
It's a given that every team is going to have a have a scoring run or two during the course of a game. The Falcons were on the wrong end of a few of those last month's four-game losing streak.
 
At Simon Fraser, the Clan closed the first quarter with 10 straight points, and then, up by just one early in the fourth, racked up another 10 in a row to pull away. At Western Washington, the Falcons were up 23-17 in the second quarter when the Vikings went on a 22-0 binge to take command.
 
The following week at home, SPU had a 34-25 halftime lead against nationally ranked Alaska Anchorage, only to see the Seawolves get right back into it with an 11-0 spurt in the third quarter. When Alaska Fairbanks visited two days later, the Nanooks scored the first 12 points of the game and the last 10.
 
But now in winning four in a row, the Falcons have kept the opposition's scoring surges in check.
 
It started at Northwest Nazarene, when the Crusaders' longest run was 7-0. At Central Washington, the Wildcats had one of eight straight in the first quarter and seven in a row bridging the third and fourth. Saint Martin's had an 8-0 run in the third quarter, but still wasn't able to get SPU's lead below double digits. Montana State Billings rang up six straight to start the fourth quarter last Saturday, though that still left the Falcons up by 31.
 
'A' IS FOR ACCURACY
Thanks to some sharp-shooting performances by junior guard Lindsay Lee and sophomore center Carly Rataushk last week, the Falcons now have four players hitting .500 or better from the field this winter.

 

Lee (Spokane, Wash. / Lewis & Clark HS) drained 5 of 7 for the week and is now at .506 (41 of 81). Rataushk (Kirkland, Wash. / Lake Washington HS) hit 6 of 10, raising her season mark to an even .500 (20 of 40).
 
Junior forward Erica Pagano (Happy Valley, Ore.) has been above .500 all season, currently sitting at .507 (73 of 144). Sophomore center Julia Haining (Lynnwood, Wash. / Inglemoor HS), currently out with an injury, has been above .500 since the fourth game of the season, and has a .573 percentage (47 of 82).
 
Last season, none of the Falcons hit 50 percent, and only two were above 40 percent: Haining at .449, and Molly Grager at .440.
 
DOUBLE-DOUBLE DELIGHTS
Junior forward Courtney Hollander put her fifth double-double of the season into the book last Tuesday, with 14 points and 10 rebounds at Saint Martin's. The Falcons have six for the season.
 

COURTNEY HOLLANDER (5 season / 14 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
14 pts-10 reb at Saint Martin's, Jan. 31
 
JORDAN McPHEE (1 season / 2 career)
14 pts-10 reb at Western Oregon, Dec. 1
 
STACEY LUKASIEWICZ (0 season / 1 career)
 
MARCH TO A MILESTONE
With eight points at Montana State Billings last Saturday, senior guard Brianne Lasconia topped the 500-point mark for her career. She comes into this week with 507. Junior guard Jordan McPhee topped 600, now with 605. Junior forward Courtney Hollander is one point shy of 700 and 17 rebounds away from 500.
 
In the making
100th assist           Jordan McPhee (has 99)
                                  Rachel Shim (has 95)
100th steal             Hannah Rodrigues (has 89)
200th rebound       Erica Pagano (has 159)
300th point             Erica Pagano (has 297)
400th point             Stacey Lukasiewicz (has 394)
500th rebound      Courtney Hollander (has 483
700th point            Courtney Hollander (has 699)
 
Made last week
100th point            Jaylee Albert (has 105)
100th steal           Jordan McPhee (has 101)
400th rebound     Hannah Rodrigues (has 407)
500th point           Brianne Lasconia (has 507)
600th point           Jordan McPhee (has 605)
 
NATIONALLY SPEAKING (TOP 50)
Among the 307 programs in D2, SPU is …
-- 8th in free throw shooting (.782)
-- 10th in assists per game (17.8)    
-- 10th in total assists (392)
-- 13th in scoring defense (56.1)
-- 16th in assist / turnover ratio (1.21)
-- 30th in scoring margin (+12.8)
-- 41st in total steals (221)
-- 42nd in steals per game (10.0)
 
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
Alaska Anchorage extended its winning streak to 17, is already in the GNAC Tournament and effectively is in the NCAA West Regional Tournament, as well. Western Washington (19-3, 13-1 GNAC) remains on the Seawolves' heels for the regular-season, and gets another shot at them during the final week prior to postseason play. The Vikings have clinched a GNAC spot, as has Simon Fraser (20-4, 11-3 GNAC).
 
UC San Diego (17-4, 13-2 conference) saw its winning streak end at 13 with last Saturday's 71-57 loss to Cal State East Bay. But the Tritons still have a two-game lead on the second-place Pioneers (14-8, 11-4) in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. Cal State San Bernardino (12-6, 9-5 CCAA) and Chico State (14-7, 9-6 CCAA) are still in the regional hunt, and Cal Poly Pomona (12-9, 10-5 CCAA) is on the fringe.
 
Cal Baptist's win streak is now at 21. The Lancers (24-2, 15-0) are still two games ahead of Point Loma Nazarene (19-3, 13-2) atop the Pacific West Conference. Hawaii Pacific (15-4, 12-2 conference) is 2 ½ games out. Everyone else in the conference has double-digit losses, so their only way into the NCAAs would be by winning the Pac West Tournament.
 
UP NEXT
SPU's final regular-season road trip is next week up to Alaska. The Falcons tangle with Fairbanks on Thursday, Feb. 16, at 8:00 p.m. Pacific time, seeking to get even after last month's 72-59 loss to the Nanooks in Seattle. On Saturday, they visit Anchorage, with a 5:00 p.m. Pacific time start. The Seawolves won last month in Seattle, 71-62, even though Seattle Pacific had a 34-25 halftime lead.
 
 
 
GNAC STANDINGS
                                                Conference          Overall
Alaska Anchorage                    14-0                    21-1
Western Washington                13-1                    19-3
Simon Fraser                             11-3                    20-4
Seattle Pacific                              9-5                    17-5
Alaska Fairbanks                         7-7                   11-10
Northwest Nazarene                   6-8                     8-12
Concordia                                     5-9                      8-14
Central Washington                    4-10                    9-13
Montana State Billings               4-10                    7-15
Western Oregon                          3-11                    7-14
Saint Martin's                               1-13                    5-17