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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9 –
Northwest Nazarene at Seattle Pacific, 5:15 p.m. PST
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11 –
Central Washington at Seattle Pacific, 4:30 p.m. PST  (Homecoming)
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14 –
Saint Martin's at Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m. PST  (Senior Night)
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
• Webcast for all three games:  http://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu/
• LiveStats for all three games:  www.sidearmstats.com/spu/mbball
 
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16 –
Seattle Pacific at Montana State Billings, 4:15 p.m. PST (5:15 MST)
Alterowitz Gymnasium / Billings, Mont.
• Webcast & LiveStats:  http://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu/
 
Seattle Pacific (9-13, 5-9 GNAC) closes out its 2017 home schedule with a three-game homestand during a six-day span. That trio of games at Brougham Pavilion starts the Falcons' frenetic slate of four games in eight days. SPU hosts Northwest Nazarene (11-9, 8-6) on Thursday, Feb. 9 at 5:15 p.m. as the opener of a doubleheader with the women. The Crusaders won this season's first meeting to halt an 11-game series losing skid versus SPU. The Falcons' annual Homecoming game takes place on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 4:30 p.m. following a 2 p.m. women's game. Central Washington (12-8, 7-7) visits after defeating the Falcons 89-85 on Jan. 12 in Ellensburg. SPU hosts its final home game on Tuesday, Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. against Saint Martin's (12-10, 6-8). The Saints won their last two encounters with SPU, both of them in Lacey. The Falcons travel to Montana State Billings (13-9, 8-6) on Thursday, Feb. 16 for a 4:15 p.m. Pacific Time game (5:15 p.m. MST). SPU won five straight over the Yellowjackets, including a 94-75 win in Seattle.
 
So Long Seniors
The Feb. 14 game marks the final home appearance for four SPU seniors: Chris Bench, Olivier-Paul Betu, Will Parker and Joe Ramussen. In their four years, the Falcons forged an 81-36 record with a conference regular-season championship, two GNAC Tournament titles and three NCAA playoff berths to their credit. Those seniors will be honored in a brief ceremony prior to Tuesday's 7 p.m. tip-off at Brougham Pavilion.  


 
Get Your Tickets
Tickets for SPU basketball games can be purchased at Brougham Pavilion (3414 Third Ave. W., Seattle 98119) on game day. Reserved seats are $9. General admission tickets are priced at $6 for adults and $3 for students and senior citizens.
 
Magnificent Miller
Falcons forward Tony Miller is the finest freshman in the conference and compiled double-figure points and rebounds in each of the last four games. He leads all GNAC players, and ranks No. 7 nationally, with 12 double-doubles. Miller ranks No. 5 overall among GNAC scorers (18.0 ppg) and is No. 2 in rebounds (9.6 rpg). Miller poured in a career-high 34 points at Northwest Nazarene (Jan. 14), his second 30-point performance. The 6-foot-6 standout produced 28 points in his Oct. 29 collegiate debut, an exhibition contest at BYU. Miller paces SPU with 20 double-figure scoring games.
 
Terrific Trio
Three players account for 62 percent of SPU's point production (1,081 of 1,743). Freshman Tony Miller scores at an 18.0-point clip to top the team, sophomore Coleman Wooten averages 17.4 points and senior Joe Rasmussen chips in 13.7.
 
Scouting Northwest Nazarene (11-9, 8-6 GNAC)
> The Crusaders won their last three games.
 
> Bouna N'Diaye tops NNU scorers with 16.7 points per game.
 
> The Falcons lead the series 57-23 and had won 11 consecutive meetings before losing 85-80 on Jan. 14 in Nampa.
 
Scouting Central Washington (12-8, 7-7 GNAC)
> Central lost its last five games, immediately following a six-game win streak.
 
> The Wildcat's Dom Hunter ranks second among GNAC scorers with a 24.4-point average and Fuquan Niles leads the league in field goal percentage (65.5%) and blocked shots (3.2 bpg).
 
> CWU leads the all-time series 74-53 despite losing 10 of the last 15 meetings. The Falcons lost 89-85 on Jan. 12 in Ellensburg as injuries limited them to seven players. Freshman point guard Sharif Khan made his only start and played all 40 minutes.
 
Scouting Saint Martin's (12-10, 6-8 GNAC)
> The Saints won at Concordia on Feb. 4 to halt a three-game losing skid.
 
> Tyler Copp tops four SMU double-digit scorers, scoring at a 16.7-point clip.
 
> The Falcons boast a 97-36 all-time series lead and won 31 of the last 36 matchups. SMU won the last two meetings, including a 93-80 decision on Jan. 17 in Lacey.
 
Scouting Montana State Billings (13-9, 8-6 GNAC)
> The Yellowjackets won two of their last three games to tie for fourth in the standings.
 
> The tandem of Preston Beverly (20.1 ppg) and Marc Matthews (15.3 ppg) combine to average over 35 points per game. Beverly ranks fourth among GNAC scorers.
 
> The Falcons lead the series by a 40-30 margin and won the last five encounters, including a 94-75 victory on Jan. 26 in Seattle.

 

Last Action
The Falcons lost a pair of games in Oregon, extending their road losing streak to five. Concordia won 81-71 on Feb. 2. Tony Miller produced 24 points and 12 rebounds for the Falcons, who led 53-50 before missing 13 consecutive second-half shots. Miller had another double-double (18 points/12 rebounds) at Western Oregon on Feb. 4, but couldn't offset the 18-point, 15-rebound, 11-steal triple-double of Tanner Omlid. Gavin Long pumped in a career-high 25 points for SPU
 
Fantastic Freshmen
True freshmen Tony Miller (397), Gavin Long (202) and Sharif Khan (115) account for 41 percent of SPU's scoring, combining for 714 points.
 
Ailing Falcons
A slew of injuries have depleted the SPU roster. Sophomore Gabe Colosimo and junior Sam Simpson are sidelined for the season. Senior point guard Will Parker is out with an injured foot. Sophomore Nathan Streufert missed the first eight games. Sophomore transfer Trey Miller (North Dakota State) has not yet played due to injury. That leaves 11 available players (Harry Cavell is redshirting).
 
Wonderful Wooten
Sophomore forward Coleman Wooten erupted for a career-high 35 points at Saint Martin's on Jan. 17. He surpassed the 20-point mark 10 times this season. The 6-foot-5 forward has seven double-doubles and is averaging 17.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. He hauled in 10 or more rebounds in eight games with a career-high 16 on Nov. 18 versus Minnesota State. Wooten was named the MVP of the Sodexo Tip-Off Classic (Nov. 11 & 12).
 
2017 Season Preview
You will need a roster to follow these Falcons. Along with a new coaching staff, helmed by former assistant Grant Leep, seven players will wear SPU maroon for the first time. The Falcons have some rebuilding to do, as all five primary starters were seniors from the 2015-16 squad that posted a 22-9 record. Five players return with some starting experience, but only one was in the opening lineup for more than four games last season. Leep must deal with the departure of five of the team's top-six scorers as 6-foot-8 senior center Joe Rasmussen is the top returning point producer with 6.1 per game in 2016. Also returning is senior point guard Will Parker who averaged 4.5 points and 1.5 assists while drawing 14 starts. Senior shooting guard Oliver-Paul Betu looks to have a more significant impact one year after transferring from UC Davis. Increased contributions are anticipated as forwards Sam Simpson and Coleman Wooten see increased playing time. A talented trio of local freshmen, in Sharif Khan (Bellevue HS) Gavin Long (Wenatchee HS) and Tony Miller (Woodinville HS), bolster a lineup that also features North Dakota State sophomore transfer Trey Miller.
 
2016 Season Review
The Falcons forged a 22-9 record last year in the seventh, and final, season under Coach Ryan Looney. They advanced to the GNAC Tournament semifinals before falling 58-57 against eventual champion Western Oregon. SPU participated in the NCAA playoffs for the 12th consecutive year, but suffered a 77-66 opening-round setback versus Azusa Pacific. The season featured lengthy winning streaks of nine and eight games. Senior forward Mitch Penner garnered first-team All-GNAC honors after topping the team with an 18.6-point average. Gillies Dierickx (11.4 ppg) earned second-team recognition and Bryce Leavitt (4.3 apg) was an honorable mention pick.

 

Coach Leep
Grant Leep, 36, assumes control of the SPU program in his first head coaching assignment after seven seasons as an assistant on the Falcons staff. He has a 9-13 record. Leep has strong basketball ties throughout the Northwest as an All-America player at Mount Vernon (Wash.) High School before lettering four years at the University of Washington. He still owns the Huskies 3-point accuracy records for a season (52.7% in 2002) and career (42.9%). Leep's coaching resumé includes stops at Eastern Washington and a pair of community colleges. The Falcons compiled a 165-51 (.764) record during Leep's time as an assistant coach. Two teams (2012, 2013) advanced to the West Regional championship game of the NCAA Division II Tournament. SPU twice won conference regular-season championships, in 2010 and 2014, and captured the GNAC Tournament title three consecutive years, from 2013-15.
 
Next Week
The SPU men conclude the regular season with a pair of road games. They visit Western Washington on Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. and Simon Fraser on Feb. 25 at 7 p.m.