THE SCHEDULE
Thursday, Jan. 4                  Northwest Nazarene at Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m.
                                                Brougham Pavilion (2,650) / Seattle, Wash.
                                                Live Webcast        Live stats
 
Saturday, Jan. 6                   Central Washington at Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m.
                                                Brougham Pavilion (2,650) / Seattle, Wash.
                                                Live Webcast        Live stats
 

        Weekly release, with complete updated stats (PDF)
  
SEATTLE – The new year is here. But the women's basketball challenges haven't changed for the Seattle Pacific Falcons.
 
In other words, the competition will be as stiff as ever now that the team is focused entirely on Great Northwest Athletic Conference opponents.
 
The Falcons will play host to a pair of GNAC foes this week, as Northwest Nazarene comes to Brougham Pavilion on Thursday, followed by Central Washington on Saturday.
 
Tip-off time for both games is at 7:00 p.m.
 
SPU brings a 9-2 overall record and 3-1 conference mark into the week, having won three straight GNAC games after dropping its opener at Concordia-Portland on Nov. 30. The latest of those victories was last Thursday when they beat Montana State Billings, 70-61, thereby handing the Yellowjackets their first conference defeat.
 
FOLLOW IT LIVE
Both games this week, and all remaining games this season, home and away, will have live stats and a free live Webcast. Tom Gialanella will be on the Webcast play-by-play for home contests. The appropriate links can be found at the top of this story.
 
TICKET TALK
The ticket window opens 60 minutes prior to tip-off. Prices are $10 for reserved seats, $7 for adult general admission, and $4 for students, youths, and senior citizens. Seattle Pacific faculty, staff, and students are admitted free with proper school ID.
 
IT'S THE NIGHTHAWKS NOW
For those fans who didn't get out to a volleyball or soccer match in the fall, Northwest Nazarene comes to down with a new mascot.
 
No longer the Crusaders, NNU's teams are now known as the Nighthawks. The change was announced on Nov. 16.
 




SO WHAT'S THE STORY THIS WEEK?
-- Both opponents are coached by former Seattle Pacific assistants. Steve Steele is in his second season at Northwest Nazarene. Randi Richardson-Thornley is in her first at Central Washington after two seasons as a Wildcats assistant. One of Richardson-Thornley's assistants is Stacey Lukasiewicz, who completed her four-year at SPU last winter.
-- The Falcons played NNU in three different locales last year– and the only place they lost was in Brougham Pavilion, 73-66, which ended a season-opening 11-game winning streak. SPU later won in Nampa, 68-63, then prevailed again in the first round of the GNAC Tournament at Saint Martin's in Lacey, 70-60.
-- Among the players on the Nighthawks roster are twin sisters Raquel and Danielle Jardine, and – at least in a basketball sense – they take "identical" to another level. Both are 5-foot-11 forwards. Both have 87 points for the season (a 9.7 average). Both have attempted 30 free throws (Raquel has hit 24, Danielle 21). Both have 21 offensive rebounds. Raquel has started all nine games, totaling 162 minutes. Danielle has come off the bench in all nine, totaling 160 minutes. And, Raquel has 48 total rebounds, Danielle has 46. Even their foul counts are almost the same – 33 for Danielle, 31 for Raquel.
-- Senior guard Jordan McPhee has back-to-back 19-point outings. She has scored in double figures nine times in 11 games.
-- McPhee also had two blocked shots against Billings, her second straight game with more than one. She had four against Oklahoma Christian on Dec. 18, and is the only Seattle Pacific player this season with more than one in any game.
-- Senior starting guard Rachel Shim was coming off a minor injury from the Oklahoma Christian game, so eased her way back into game action last Thursday against Montana State Billings, with junior Jaylee Albert getting the start. Didn't matter who was on the floor, as both were effective: Albert had five points, three rebounds, and two assists in 27 minutes; Shim tallied three points, five boards, an assist and a steal in 23 minutes.
-- Senior forward Courtney Hollander's six assists against Billings beat her old career high of five, set on Dec. 13, 2015, at home against Northwest University.
-- Junior center Carly Rataushk's perfect shooting game (3 for 3) against MSUB was the first time her career she has finished at 100 percent. The closest she came to that previously (with more than one field goal) was 80 percent (4 of 5) on Nov. 12, 2016, against Humboldt State in Brougham Pavilion.
-- Coach Julie Heisey is 18-7 all-time vs Northwest Nazarene and 2-1 vs. coach Steve Steele. Her record against Central Washington is 21-3.
 
SCOUTING THE NORTHWEST NAZARENE NIGHTHAWKS: 7-2, 3-1 GNAC (tie 2nd)
All-time series: SPU leads, 31-8. Current series streak: SPU won 2. Last time: SPU 70, NNU 60 (March 2, 2017 at Lacey, Wash). Nighthawks on the Web.
Nighthawks in a nutshell: With seven victories, NNU already is more than halfway to last season's total of 12, and comes into this week's action having won two straight. The latest of those was a 94-67 blowout of Western Oregon last Saturday in Nampa. That's the third time this season the Nighthawks have been in the 90s, having put up 96 against Cal State Monterey Bay on Nov. 11, and 99 at Alaska Fairbanks on Nov. 30. With all of that, they lead the GNAC in scoring at 83.3 per game and rank No. 14 in D2. Those points are nicely distributed, too: 13.2 per game for 5-foot-11 senior guard Lexi Tubbs, 12.9 for 5-9 junior guard McKenna Walker, 10.1 for 5-8 senior guard Marina Valles, and 9.7 apiece for 5-11 forwards Raquel Jardine and Danielle Jardine. Tubbs also averages a team-high 6.8 rebounds per game. NNU sticks with what's working: Tubbs, Walker, Raquel Jardine, 5-11 senior guard / forward Collette Gall, and 5-7 senior guard Kaitlyn Merritt have started all nine games.
 
SCOUTING THE CENTRAL WASHINGTON WILDCATS: 6-6, 2-2 GNAC (tie 5th)
All-time series: SPU leads, 48-30. Current series streak: SPU won 2. Last time: SPU 54, CWU 51 (Jan. 28, 2017 at Ellensburg). Wildcats on the Web.
Wildcats in a nutshell:  As expected, 5-foot-5 senior guard Jasmin Edwards has been a go-to player for Central, with a team-leading 13.8 points per game. She already has a pair of 20-point games to her credit, including a season-high 23 against Concordia. But she's hardly the only go-to option. Sadie Mensing, a 5-9 junior guard, is every bit as dangerous. She averages 13.7 per game, and in fact starts the week just one point behind Edwards, 165-164. Mensing is CWU's best overall shooter at .464 (58 of 125), while Edwards has a sharp eye from 3-point range at .444 (20 of 45). Sophomore 5-9 guard Alexis Pana averages 10.2 points per game, and 6-2 forward Taylor Baird averages a team-leading 6.8 rebounds to go along with 9.8 points. Those four, plus 6-foot sophomore forward Kaelie Flores, have started all 12 games.
 
KEEPING THEIR EYE – AND HANDS – ON THE BALL
That Seattle Pacific had just 12 turnovers in last Thursday's 70-61 victory against Montana State Billings should come as no surprise. After a rough beginning to the season when they had 42 turnovers in their first two games combined (an average of 21 per game), the Falcons have had just 113 in the nine games since them (12.5 per game).
 
That includes a season-low of four against UC San Diego on Nov. 18, and another single-digit night of nine against Oklahoma Christian on Dec. 18.
 
All of that has moved SPU steadily up the NCAA Division II national rankings for fewest turnovers, and assist / turnover ratio (total assists divided by total turnovers; the higher the number, the better).
 
The numbers through the first eight weeks (there are 302 Division II programs):
 
WEEK                    Total turnovers      Assist / TO ratio
                               (nat'l rank)             (nat'l rank)
Week 1         42(206)       0.79 (111)
Week 2         65(162)       0.72 (161)
Week 3         81(110)       0.99 (75)
Week 4        111 (92)       0.95 (73)
Week 5        121 (54)       1.00 (61)
Week 6        134 (45)       1.06 (50)
Week 7        143 (42)       1.10 (42)
Week 8        155 (41)       1.12 (40)
 
In a nutshell, SPU has improved 165 places from Week 1 through last week in total turnovers, and has climbed 71 places for assist / turnover ratio.

THAT WINDEX SHINE
If it seems as if SPU players are doing a better job of grabbing rebounds this season, it's because …
 
… they are.
 
Through 11 games, the team has 479 rebounds. That's 39 more than through 11 games last year. That includes seven more off of the offensive glass (158-151) and 32 more at the other end (321-289).

 

Of the nine Falcons who are seeing regular playing time, whether it's a lot of minutes or just a few, seven of them are averaging more boards than at this same juncture last season. Some of those averages are significantly better, such as senior center Julia Haining's 8.4 (up from 4.6 through 11 games last season). Senior guards Rachel Shim and Lindsay Lee are both at 3.1 (1.9 for Shim, 0.9 for Lee at this time a year ago), and junior guard Jaylee Albert is at 2.5 (up from 1.1).
 
Senior guard Jordan McPhee has bumped her average up to 5.8 from 4.6, and senior Courtney Hollander is up a tick to 8.1 from 8.0. Hollander, however, already has five double-digit board games. That's as many as she had for all of last season.
 
TIGHTENING THE CLAMPS AT CRUNCH TIME
In track or swimming, it's called a negative split – when an athlete is faster in the second half of a race than in the first half.
 
The Falcons have been highly effective at coming up with a basketball version of that concept – allowing fewer points during the second half than during the first.
 
Matter of fact, they've done that nine times in 11 games so far. The most recent of those was Thursday against Montana State Billings. After yielding 39 first-half points to the Yellowjackets, SPU allowed just 22 more through the final 20 minutes. That included a decisive five-minute stretch late in the game when MSUB put just one point on the board.
 
That negative-17 (from 39 to 22) was the largest first-to-second-half defensive differential of the season for the Falcons. They had a negative-16 (from 43 to 27) in a 78-70 win at Fresno Pacific on Nov. 11, and a negative-15 (45 to 30) against Oklahoma Christian on Dec. 18, although the Eagles still won that game, 75-70.

COACH JULIE HEISEY SAYS …
 

(On Northwest Nazarene)
"They have a lot of people who can score, and score quickly. They average 10 more possessions per game than we do. They're pretty balanced, and they hard to guard, because you can't just key on one person."
 
(On Central Washington)
"They press pretty much after every made basket. They're just playing a lot faster. It's a different style, and we have to take care of the ball, play smart, play our game, and not get caught up playing their style. They have more balance in their scoring than last year, and they're a little bit like NNU in that they're not going to be as predictable."
 
LET'S GO TO THE REPLAY
-- Jordan McPhee scored 19 points, Julia Haining added 18, and SPU tightened up on defense during the second half to beat Montana State Billings last Thursday in Brougham Pavilion, 70-61.
 
DOUBLE-DOUBLE DELIGHTS
Courtney Hollander (3 season / 17 career)
11 pts-11 reb vs. Humboldt State, Nov. 10
10 pts-10 reb at Fresno Pacific, Nov. 11
12 pts-12 reb at Western Oregon, Dec. 2
 
Julia Haining (2 season / 2 career)
13 pts-16 reb vs. Humboldt State, Nov. 10
14 pts-17 reb at Concordia-Portland, Nov. 30
 
Jordan McPhee (1 season / 3 career)
19 pts-10reb vs. Oklahoma Christian, Dec. 18
 
MARKING A MILESTONE
In reach
100th free throw   Erica Pagano (has 96)
100th rebound      Lindsay Lee (has 95)
200th point        Jaylee Albert (has 196)
300th field goal   Jordan McPhee (has 291)
300th point        Julia Haining (has 265)
400th point        Rachel Shim (has 385)
600th rebound      Cici West (has 589)
                   Courtney Hollander (has 591)
900th point        Jordan McPhee (has 867)
                   Courtney Hollander (has 862)
 
Made last week
None
 
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
Among the 302 programs in D2, SPU is …
– 28th in rebounding margin (+7.9)
-- 34th in rebounds per game (43.55)
-- 37th in turnovers per game (14.1)
-- 40th in assist / turnover ratio (1.12)
-- 41st in fewest turnovers (155)
-- 41st in steals per game (10.5)
-- 49th in defensive rebounds per game (29)
 
Click on this link to see how SPU ranks nationally. Click on this link for a look at other GNAC teams and players in the national stats.
 
POLLING PLACE
Seattle Pacific is still receiving votes in the latest WBCA national coaches poll that was released on Wednesday, but is no longer in the top 25. The Falcons were at No. 25 in the final poll before Christmas. They are tied for No. 27 this week with 18 points and is one of two West Region teams (UC San Diego, with three points) in the "others receiving votes group.
 
Ashland of Ohio remained a unanimous No. 1, with all 24 first-place vote and 600 points. Alaska Anchorage of the GNAC is No. 6, and Azusa Pacific of the Pac West is No. 18.
 
SPU is now No. 4 in the D2SIDA West Region poll, released on Tuesday. The Falcons were No. 3 in the final poll before the holidays. Anchorage is still No. 1, but no longer unanimous. The Seawolves received four of the six first-place votes, with the other two going to UC San Diego. Azusa Pacific is No. 3, followed by SPU. This poll is voted on by a select group of sports information directors.
 
AROUND THE WEST
Although Alaska Anchorage was hit with its first loss of the year right before the seven-day quiet period (68-58 at Sonoma State), the Seawolves bounced back to stay unbeaten in GNAC play with two big road wins last week: 84-79 at Simon Fraser, and 64-54 at Western Washington. Anchorage is 12-1 overall, 5-0 in the conference. SPU, Northwest Nazarene, and Montana State Billings are in a second-way knot at 3-1.
 
UC San Diego and Humboldt State are both on overall seven-game winning streaks, although the Tritons (11-2 overall) have a half-game lead on Humboldt atop the California Collegiate Athletic Association standings at 7-0. Humboldt is 7-1, and has an 8-5 overall record. The Lumberjacks travel to La Jolla for a showdown with UCSD on Friday night.
 
Dominican and Azusa Pacific continue to set the pace in the Pacific West Conference. The Penguins have the only perfect record in conference play at 4-0, and are 10-2 overall. Azusa is 5-1 in conference, and 14-2 overall, having played an additional preseason tournament. Cal Baptist is just 6-6 overall, but 3-1 in the Pac West. CBU hosts Dominican on Wednesday.
 
UP NEXT
SPU is back on the road next week, visiting Western Washington on Thursday, Jan. 10, and Simon Fraser on Saturday the 12^th. The Falcons were swept by both teams last season, including an 18-point loss in Bellingham and a 10-pointer in Burnaby, B.C.
 
 
GNAC STANDINGS
                                                Conference          Overall
Alaska Anchorage         5-0         12-1
Seattle Pacific          3-1          9-2
Northwest Nazarene       3-1          7-2
Montana State Billings   3-1         10-4
Concordia-Portland       2-2          8-4
Central Washington       2-2          6-6
Western Washington       2-2          6-6
Simon Fraser             1-3          6-6
Western Oregon           1-3          5-5
Saint Martin's           1-3          5-7
Alaska Fairbanks         0-5          4-7