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THURSDAY, JANUARY 11
Concordia (Ore.) at Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m. PST
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
SATURDAY, JANUARY 13
Western Oregon at Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m. PST
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
TUESDAY, JANUARY 16
Saint Martin's at Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m. PST
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
THURSDAY, JANUARY 18
Montana State Billings at Seattle Pacific, 5:15 p.m. PST
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
• Webcast for all four games: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe1iS12FsEzoRas8fmcWzaA/live
• LiveStats for all four games: www.sidearmstats.com/spu/mbball
 
A frenetic home slate of four games in eight days awaits Seattle Pacific the next two weeks. The quartet of games at Brougham Pavilion begins on Thursday, Jan. 11 when the Falcons (9-4, 4-2 GNAC) host Concordia-Portland (4-10, 0-6) at 7 p.m. SPU won the first six games in the series before the Cavaliers were 81-71 victors on Feb. 2 in Portland in the last meeting. On Saturday, Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. the Falcons have a home encounter with Western Oregon (13-1, 5-1). The Wolves own a six-game series win streak, three of them overtime results along with a two- and one-point decision. SPU entertains Saint Martin's (10-4, 3-3) on Tuesday, Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. The Saints won their last three matchups with SPU. The Falcons conclude the homestand on Thursday, Jan. 8 at 5:15 p.m. against Montana State Billings (10-7, 2-4). SPU has won six straight over the Yellowjackets.
 
Get Your Tickets
Individual game tickets for SPU men's basketball games can be obtained at Brougham Pavilion (3414 Third Ave. W., Seattle 98119) on game day. Reserved seats for Falcon men's basketball are $10. General admission tickets are priced at $7 for adults and $4 for students and senior citizens. Groups or teams of 10 or more may qualify for special general admission rates by calling 206-281-2393 in advance.


 
Falcons Fast Facts
SPU has won three straight GNAC games for the first time since the 2016 season ... Gavin Long and Coleman Wooten are the only two Falcons to start all 13 games ... SPU has implemented six different starting lineups ... The Falcons have a 7-0 record this season when holding foes under 83 points ... SPU has outboarded 10 opponents, outrebounding foes by an average 5.6 per game (38.9-33.3) ... The Falcons tied their school single-game record with 11 blocked shots on Nov. 17 versus Concordia-Irvine, led by seven from Nathan Streufert ... Since joining the starting lineup on Dec. 28, Streufert has two double-doubles and three double-digit rebound games ... Five different Falcons have had a five-assist game ... SPU has a 6-0 record when shooting 50 percent or better.
 
Last Week
The Falcons swept the two-game Alaska road trip for the fifth time in the last six seasons. Coleman Wooten compiled 20 points and 9 rebounds to spark a 95-79 victory at Fairbanks (Jan. 4). Wooten topped SPU again in a 57-54 win at Anchorage (Jan. 6) with 15 points while Nathan Streufert posted a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double.
 
TV Time Change
Please note that the start time for the Jan. 27 game at Western Washington was changed to 3 p.m. to accommodate a live ROOT SPORTS television broadcast. 
 
Scouting Concordia (4-10, 0-6 GNAC)
> Located in Portland, Ore., Concordia is a third-year NCAA competitor and member of the GNAC after previously competing at the NAIA level.
 
> The Cavaliers opened the season with four wins before losing their last 10, including all six GNAC contests.
 
> Concordia features the high-scoring duo of Jarrett Gray and Christopher Edward, each averaging 16.6 points.
 
> SPU won the first six games in the series before losing the most recent outing. The Falcons were 88-83 home victors on Jan. 7, 2017 before falling 81-71 in the Jan. 7 rematch in Portland.
 
Scouting Western Oregon (13-1, 5-1 GNAC)
> The Wolves won GNAC regular-season titles in 2015 and 2016.
 
> WOU, which won its last six outings, is led by the 11.7-point and 6.7-rebound averages of 2017 GNAC Defensive Player of the Year Tanner Omlid. The 6-foot-4 senior forward erupted for 34 points versus the Falcons last season in Seattle (Jan. 5). 
 
> SPU leads the all-time series 40-21 despite losing the last six encounters, three of them in overtime. WOU swept all three meetings in 2016 with a 96-90 overtime home win on Jan. 7, an 84-82 overtime road victory on Feb. 6 and a 58-57 decision on Mar.4 in the GNAC Tournament semifinals. The Wolves swept SPU in 2017, winning 76-74 on Jan. 5 in Seattle and 84-70 on Feb. 4 in Monmouth.
 
> Former Wolves All-America player, Jim Shaw, is in his third year as the WOU head coach after nine years as an assistant at Washington. He is 5-0 against SPU.
 
Scouting Saint Martin's (10-4, 3-3 GNAC)
> The Saints are 3-3 in GNAC play with one loss a narrow 90-86 setback versus league-leading Western Washington on Dec. 30.
 
> Luke Chavez tops SMU, scoring at a 17.2-point clip while distributing assists at a rate of 3.9 per game.
 
> The Falcons boast a 97-37 all-time series lead despite losing the last three meetings. SMU swept the season series in 2017 with a 93-80 decision on Jan. 17 in Lacey followed by an 80-77 victory on Feb. 14 in Seattle.
 
Scouting MSU Billings (10-7, 2-4 GNAC)
> The Yellowjackets won two straight GNAC games before losing 92-68 at second-place Western Oregon in the last outing.
 
> Tyler Green (15.5 ppg) and Zack Rollins (14.4 ppg) headline a list of five MSUB double-digit scorers.
 
> The Falcons lead the series by a 41-30 margin and won the last six encounters. SPU swept the Yellowjackets in 2017, winning 94-75 on Jan. 26 in Seattle and 75-70 on Feb. 16 in Billings.

 

Sharp Shooters
The SPU men are shooting 48.0 percent (363 of 756) as a team, reaching the 50-percent mark six times. They hit 59-percent of their shots (33 of 56) in the Dec. 18 win at Stanislaus State. Seven Falcons are making as many or more shots than they miss, led by the 55-percent accuracy (35 of 64) of Nathan Streufert. SPU's best 3-point shooter is Hunter Eisenhower at 42 percent (17 of 41).
 
Terrific Transfer
Junior Nikhil Lizotte ranks third on the team with 10.9 points per game, including eight double-figure performances. All of his SPU-high 20 points on Nov. 24 came after halftime. Lizotte joined the team after transferring from Humboldt State where he started all 29 games last season. The 5-foot-9 guard led the Lumberjacks in 3-pointers (75) and was second in scoring (3.8 ppg). Lizotte is a graduate of Davis High School in Yakima, Wash.
 
Magnificent Miller
Sophomore Tony Miller's availability is uncertain due to an injury. He leads SPU with 18.0 points per game. He was honored as the 2017 GNAC Freshman of the Year, finishing second among all GNAC players last season, and No. 11 nationally, with 15 double-doubles. In 2017, Miller ranked No. 4 among GNAC scorers (19.0 ppg) and No. 3 in rebounds (9.7 rpg). Miller had three 30-point performances with a career-high 34 points at Northwest Nazarene (Jan. 14). The 6-foot-6 forward produced 28 points in his Oct. 29, 2016 collegiate debut, an exhibition at BYU. Miller paced SPU with 25 double-digit scoring games last year and 12 games of 20 points or more.
 
2018 Season Preview
A talented, young core featuring three returning starters joins a trio of productive regulars who are back from injuries that sidelined them last season. Four of the top-five scorers return, including the top-two point producers from a year ago. Tony Miller was honored as the 2017 GNAC Freshman of the Year after ranking No. 11 nationally with 15 double-doubles. The 6-foot-6 sophomore forward averaged 19.0 points and 9.7 rebounds last season. Coleman Wooten is a 6-foot-5 junior forward who garnered All-GNAC honorable mention acclaim. He averaged 17.0 points and 8.8 rebounds in 2017, ranking second on the team in both categories. Wooten led the Falcons with 72 assists. Sophomore guard Gavin Long average 10.7 points while leading the team in field goal (60.1%) and 3-point (45.8%) percentage. The cast of remaining returnees is headlined by sharpshooters Sharif Khan and Hunter Eisenhower, along with junior post man Nathan Streufert. A pair of transfers will vie for immediate playing time, Nikhil Lizotte, who averaged 13.8 points last year at Humboldt State, and 6-foot-11 Christian Russell from Oregon State. Guard Braden Olsen, from West Linn, Ore. is the lone freshman.
 
Coach Leep
Grant Leep, 37, is in his second season directing the SPU men's basketball program, his first head coaching assignment after seven years as an assistant on the Falcons staff. He has a 21-20 career record. Leep coached the 2017 team to a 12-16 record, including an 8-10 GNAC mark. He has strong basketball ties throughout the Northwest as an All-America player at Mount Vernon (Wash.) High School before lettering four years at Washington. Leep still owns the Huskies 3-point accuracy records for a season (52.7% in 2002) and career (42.9%). His coaching resumé includes stops at Eastern Washington and a pair of community colleges. SPU had a 165-51 (.764) record during his time as an assistant.