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THURSDAY, JANUARY 25 –
Seattle Pacific at Simon Fraser, 7:00 p.m. PST
West Gym / Burnaby, B.C.
 
SATURDAY, JANUARY 27 –
Seattle Pacific at (#23) Western Washington, 3:00 p.m. PST
Carver Gymnasium / Bellingham, Wash. -- ROOT SPORTS TV
 
• Webcast & LiveStats for both games: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu
 
The second half of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball slate begins on the road this week for Seattle Pacific, which is one victory away from matching last season's entire 12-win total. The Falcons (11-6, 6-4 GNAC) visit Burnaby, B.C. on Thursday, Jan. 25 for a matchup against Simon Fraser (8-10, 2-8) at 7 p.m. PST in West Gym. This season's first meeting, on Dec. 30 in Seattle, resulted in a 98-93 overtime win for SPU after a furious 11-2 run to end regulation. On Saturday, Jan. 27 SPU plays for the first time at Bellingham's Carver Gymnasium since it was renovated. The game at 23rd-ranked Western Washington (15-3, 10-0) will be televised live at 3 p.m. PST on ROOT Sports with Brad Adam and Francis Williams calling the action. The first-place Vikings are undefeated in GNAC games, including an 86-80 decision at SPU on Dec. 28.
 
Falcons Fast Facts
Six different Falcons have had a five-assist game this season ... Despite missing the last five games due to injury, Tony Miller has still scored more points (216) than any other Falcon this season. Gavin Long ranks second with 207 points ... The Falcons' road record (5-2) is better than their home mark (5-3) ... Seven different players have been SPU's game scoring leader at least once this season ... Gavin Long and Coleman Wooten are the only two Falcons to start all 17 games ... SPU has implemented six different starting lineups ... The Falcons have an 8-0 record this season when holding foes under 80 points ... SPU has outrebounded 13 opponents, outboarding foes by an average of 5.8 per game (38.4–32.6) ... The Falcons tied their school single-game record with 11 blocked shots on Nov. 17 versus Concordia-Irvine, led by seven from Nathan Streufert ... SPU has an 8-0 record when shooting 50 percent or better.
 


Recent Recap
The Falcons drew a split of a four-game homestand with a quartet of games jammed into eight days. They edged Concordia (Ore.) 74-72 on Jan. 11 on a tip-in by Nathan Streufert with 24.8 seconds remaining. SPU then lost 83-79 to 10th-ranked Western Oregon on Jan. 13 and 80-73 to Saint Martin's on Jan. 16. The hectic stretch ended with a 98-87 victory over Montana State Billings on Jan. 18. behind Coleman Wooten's 21-point, 8-rebound performance. Just eight Falcons played in the four games.
 
Sharp Shooters
The SPU men are shooting 48.0 percent (472 of 984) as a team, reaching the 50-percent mark eight times. They hit 59-percent of their shots (33 of 56) in the Dec. 18 win at Stanislaus State. Six Falcons are making as many or more shots than they miss, led by the 56-percent accuracy (48 of 86) of Nathan Streufert. SPU's best 3-point shooter is Gabe Colosimo at 50 percent (16 of 32). Five players are converting free throws at better than an 80-percent clip, topped by the 88.7 percent accuracy of Nikhil Lizotte (55 of 62).
 
Scouting Simon Fraser (8-10, 208 GNAC)
> The Clan, under second-year head coach Steve Hanson, have already doubled last season's four-win output and equaled last year's total of two GNAC victories.
 
> Kedar Salam leads three SFU double-digit scorers with 18.2 points per game. JJ Pankratz averages 13.3 points and Iziah Sherman-Newome 11.3.
 
> The Falcons own a 17-2 lead in the all-time series. They won the first 13 all-time matchups with Simon Fraser before losing 84-83 on Feb. 7, 2015 in Seattle.
 
Scouting Western Washington (15-3, 10-0 GNAC)
> The defending GNAC champion Vikings are ranked 23rd, are undefeated in league play and won their last 10 games.
 
> Daulton Hommes tops three WWU double-figure scorers with an 18.2-point average. Trey Drechsel averages 14.6 and Deandre Dickson 14.3.
 
> The Vikings won this year's first matchup 86-80 on Dec. 28 in Seattle as Trey Drechsel scored six of his 27 points in the final 1:09. Tony Miller's 23 points paced SPU.
 
> The Falcons own an 83-55 series advantage, but lost the last three meetings. They were swept last season, falling 96-91 in overtime at WWU on Dec. 3 2016 in Seattle and 89-87 on Feb. 22, 2017 in Bellingham.
 
> This season's first encounter, on Dec. 30 in Seattle, took overtime to decide and SPU eventually won 98-93 behind the 21-point performance of Tony Miller. The Falcons forced overtime by outscoring the visitors 11-2 over the final 3:23 of regulation.
 
Wonderful Wooten
Junior Coleman Wooten earned Sodexo Classic MVP honors for the second straight season after compiling 20 points on 8-for-9 shooting while adding 10 rebounds and nine assists in the two-game tournament, Nov. 17-18. Wooten leads SPU in assists (56) and rebounds (6.7 rpg) while scoring at a 9.5-point clip on 52-percent shooting accuracy. He netted a season-high 21 points in the last outing (Jan. 18). On Jan. 17, 2017 Wooten erupted for a career-high 35 points at Saint Martin's. The 6-foot-5 forward averaged 17.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game while leading the Falcons with 72 assists last season. Wooten has 13 career games of 20 points or more and 11 double-digit rebounds games, collecting a career-high 16 caroms on Nov. 18, 2016.

 

Terrific Transfer
Junior Nikhil Lizotte ranks third on the team with 10.4 points per game, including 10 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 (13.8 ppg). Lizotte is a graduate of Davis High School in Yakima, Wash.
 
Ailing Falcons
For the second straight season, a slew of injuries have depleted the SPU roster. Sophomore Sharif Khan and junior Sam Simpson are sidelined for the season. Sophomore forward Tony Miller is out with a shoulder injury. His brother, sophomore Trey Miller has been limited to six games due to injury. Trey transferred from North Dakota State and was an injury red-shirt last season. That leaves 10 available players. The Falcons lost 45 combined games due to injury/illness this season, leaving Gavin Long and Coleman Wooten as the only players to start all 17 games.
 
Missing Miller
Sophomore Tony Miller's availability is uncertain due to a shoulder injury. He was sidelined the last five games. Miller's 18.0-point average leads SPU as do his 217 total points. Honored as the 2017 GNAC Freshman of the Year, he finished No. 11 nationally with 15 double-doubles. In 2017, Miller ranked No. 4 among GNAC scorers (19.0 ppg), with three 30-point performances, and No. 3 in rebounds (9.7 rpg).
 
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 23-22 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.
 
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. One transfer will vie for immediate playing time, Nikhil Lizotte, who averaged 13.8 points last year at Humboldt State. Guard Braden Olsen, from West Linn, Ore. is the lone freshman.
 
2017 Season Review
A challenging combination of injuries, youth and the absence of any returning starters hampered the SPU men in their first season under Coach Grant Leep. Key veterans Sam Simpson and Gabe Colosimo were sidelined with injuries along with North Dakota State transfer Trey Miller. The Falcons completed the 2017 season with a 12-16 record and tied for ninth in the GNAC standings with an 8-12 mark. They had a 12-year playoff run halted, a figure that was the longest active streak among NCAA Division II men's basketball programs. Forward Tony Miller was named the GNAC Freshman of the Year after leading the Falcons in both points (19.0 ppg) and rebounds (9.7 rpg). Coleman Wooten ranked second on the team in both categories (17.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg) and was an honorable mention All-GNAC honoree.
 
Next Week
The SPU men return home to Seattle to host a pair of games in Brougham Pavilion, beginning on Thursday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. against Alaska Anchorage. On Saturday, Feb. 3 at 4 p.m. the Falcons host Alaska Fairbanks for the annual Homecoming Game.