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SATURDAY, JANUARY 27
Seattle Pacific at (#23) Western Washington, 3:00 p.m. PST
Carver Gymnasium / Bellingham, Wash. -- ROOT SPORTS TV
 
• Webcast & LiveStats: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu
 (Please note that due to the television broadcast, the webcast will be blacked out in areas that have access to ROOT Sports)

Fourth-place Seattle Pacific (11-7, 6-5 GNAC) seeks to stop a three-game series losing streak against league-leading and 23rd-ranked Western Washington (15-4, 10-1) when they clash on Saturday, Jan. 27 in Bellingham. The game will be televised live at 3 p.m. on ROOT Sports with Brad Adam and Francis Williams providing the commentary. That will be the Falcons first visit to Carver Gymnasium since Western's on-campus arena was renovated. The defending Great Northwest Athletic Conference champion Vikings won this season's first meeting 86-80 on Dec. 28 in Seattle. Both teams seek to rebound from a Thursday setback. SPU lost 81-80 at Simon Fraser despite career highs of 26 points from Gavin Long and 16 boards from Nathan Streufert. WWU suffered its first league defeat and had a 10-game winning streak halted with a 94-82 home loss to Saint Martin's.
 
SPU's Even-Year Success
Since 2013 the Falcons and Vikings have taken turns winning in Bellingham. Western was victorious in odd-numbered years: 2013 (83-76 ot), 2015 (68-66) and 2017 (89-87) while the Falcons succeeded in 2014 (76-60) and 2016 (83-64). This is an even year (2018), so is it SPU's turn to win at Western Washington?
 
Sharp Shooters
When the Falcons shoot well, they win. They have an 8-0 record this season when shooting 50 percent or better and are 10-1 when posting a higher percentage from the field than foes. SPU is shooting 47.5 percent (500 of 1052) 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 (79 of 141) of Gavin Long. SPU's best 3-point shooter is Gabe Colosimo at 47 percent (16 of 34). Five players are making free throws at better than an 80-percent clip, topped by the 89.1 percent accuracy of Nikhil Lizotte (57 of 64).
 


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 indefinitely 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 49 combined games due to injury/illness this season, leaving Gavin Long and Coleman Wooten as the only players to start all 18 games.
 
Falcons Fast Facts
Seven different players have been SPU's game scoring leader at least once in 2017-18 ... The Falcons have an 8-0 record when holding foes under 80 points ... Nathan Streufert's 16 rebounds Thursday were the most for a Falcon this season as were Gavin Long's 26 points ... Six different Falcons had a five-assist game ... SPU utilized six different starting lineups ... SPU has outrebounded 14 opponents, outboarding foes by an average of 6.9 per game (39.1–32.2) ... The Falcons tied their school single-game record with 11 blocked shots on Nov. 17 versus Concordia-Irvine, led by seven from Streufert.
 
Scouting Western Washington (15-4, 10-1 GNAC)
 
> The 23rd-ranked Vikings are the defending GNAC champions.
 
> WWU had a 10-game winning streak snapped on Thursday with its first league setback, a 94-82 home loss to Saint Martin's.
 
> Daulton Hommes tops three Western double-figure scorers with an 17.9-point average. Trey Drechsel averages 15.0 and Deandre Dickson 13.7.
 
> The Vikings won this season's first encounter 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.

 

The Last Meeting
Trey Drechsel led all scorers with 27 points on Dec. 28, including six during the final 1:09 of Western Washington's 86-80 men's basketball win over Seattle Pacific in a GNAC contest at Brougham Pavilion. Western staved off a late rally that brought the hosts within 77-75 on two Tony Miller free throws with 2:36 left to play. Drechsel hit an 18-foot jumper from behind the free throw line at 1:09 and then converted two free throws on back-to-back possessions. Trevor Jasinsky added one free throw with 25.8 seconds to give WWU a commanding margin, 84-75. Miller scored 23 points to pace SPU, which also got 16 from Hunter Eisenhower, 12 from Harry Cavell and 11 from Braden Olsen. Drechsel made 8 of 13 shots from the field and 8 of 9 at the free throw line. He led WWU's 52-percent shooting performance (32 of 62) while the Falcons shot 41 percent (25 of 61). Deandre Dickson and Daulton Hommes each contributed 17 points for the Vikings and Jasinsky added 12. Trailing 49-47 early in the second half, Western staged a 13-4 run to capture the lead for good. Hommes and Drechsel each scored five points during that span that netted a 60-53 advantage with 14:35 remaining. The Vikings nailed 8 of their first 10 shots coming out of halftime. SPU chipped away at the deficit and drew within 72-71 with 6:00 to play after consecutive 3-pointers by Miller and Gabe Colosimo. Nathan Streufert grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Falcons slim 34-33 edge on the boards. WWU entered the game as the national leader in rebound margin, outboarding opponents by 14.8 per game..
 
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 (57) and is second in rebounds (6.8 rpg) while scoring at a 9.7-point clip on 52-percent shooting accuracy. He netted a season-high 21 points on Jan. 18 versus MSU Billings. 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 10.3 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.
 
Missing Miller
Sophomore Tony Miller's availability is uncertain due to a shoulder injury. He was sidelined the last six games. Miller's 18.0-point average leads SPU. 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 23-23 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.