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Sodexo Classic / Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
• Webcast for all games: https://youtu.be/RzStMu1MLuM
• LiveStats for all games: www.sidearmstats.com/spu/mbball
• Tickets: http://siteline.vendini.com/site/spufalcons.com
 
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16
Central Washington vs. Azusa Pacific, 3:00 p.m. PST
Westminster vs. Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m. PST
 
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17
Central Washington vs. Westminster, 3:00 p.m. PST
Azusa Pacific vs. Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m. PST
 
The start of the 2018-19 regular season, delayed last weekend by a wildfire in Northern California, finally gets underway this week for the Seattle Pacific men's basketball team. The Falcons (0-0) were slated to commence the campaign on the road with two games at Chico State, instead they open at home with the four-team Sodexo Classic at Brougham Pavilion on Friday, Nov. 16 and Saturday, Nov. 17. Men's basketball doubleheaders take place both days with the SPU men playing the 7 p.m. nightcap, against Westminster (0-0) on Friday and Azusa Pacific (1-2) on Saturday. Central Washington (1-1) plays the 3 p.m. opener both days against those same two opponents in reverse order of the Falcons. The SPU women are hosting a tournament the same days with games at 1:00 and 5:00 p.m.
 
Last Week
The SPU men were scheduled to play at the Mac Martin Invitational in Chico, California on Nov. 9 and 10. The team arrived in Chico on Thursday, but returned home that night after the "Camp" wildfire drew closer. The tournament was canceled and the games were postponed with the possibility of makeup dates and venues to be arranged.


 
Ticket Talk
Season tickets are available now for SPU home games. They are a tremendous value and assure a seat in the best location for every home game. Falcons fans can also obtain individual-game tickets in advance for all home events. Buy tickets online at: http://siteline.vendini.com/site/spufalcons.com    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 $5 for students and senior citizens. SPU students, faculty and staff are admitted free with i.d. Groups or teams of 10 or more may qualify for special general admission rates by calling 206-281-2085 in advance.
 
Falcons Fast Facts
Senior Coleman Wooten and junior Gavin Long were named to the 15-man Preseason All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference team and the Falcons were picked second in the coaches preseason poll ... SPU posted a 12-0 record last season when shooting 50 percent or better and were 15-3 when hitting a higher percentage from the field than foes ... Tony Miller, the 2017 GNAC Freshman of the Year, transferred to Montana in June. He averaged 18.0 points and 6.2 rebounds in 12 games as an SPU sophomore last season before being sidelined the final 17 games with a shoulder injury.
 
2019 Season Preview
All five starters return from last season's 17-12 team, including the Falcons top-five point producers. Heading the list of returnees is senior forward Coleman Wooten, a second-team All-GNAC selection in 2018 after averaging 11.0 points and 7.0 rebounds. Junior guard Gavin Long was an honorable mention all-league pick who averaged 11.9 points. That standout tandem is joined by three other returning starters; seniors Nikhil Lizotte and Nathan Streufert along with junior Gabe Colosimo. "This is the first time in my three years that we've had a really good mix of returning, experienced veterans, but then also some talented young players behind them," said third-year coach Grant Leep. Athletic sophomore Harry Cavell is back after drawing 10 starts in 2018. Two veteran returnees are back from injuries that sidelined them the majority of last year. Senior Sam Simpson is a stat sheet stuffer while sophomore Sharif Khan is a stellar sharpshooter. The lineup is bolstered by the addition of three talented newcomers; junior transfer Sam Boone from Lamar CC and freshmen Divant'e Moffitt and Jacob Medjo.

 

Notable
When Grant Leep took over as head coach after seven years as an SPU assistant, his first team had no returning starters. This season, his third, the Falcons return their entire starting lineup and the top-five point producers.
 
Sponsored by Sodexo
Seattle Pacific is grateful to Sodexo for sponsoring this tournament. Sodexo USA (www.sodexoUSA.com) is the nation's leading provider of food and facilities management. The Sodexo Foundation is an independent charitable organization that is leading the fight against hunger by supporting initiatives that focus on eliminating the root causes of hunger in the U.S.
 
Scouting Westminster (0-0)
> Westminster College is located in Salt Lake City, Utah and competes in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
 
> The Griffins have not yet played a regular-season game. They lost two exhibitions 72-43 at Brigham Young and 96-71 at Utah Valley.
 
> Coached by Norm Parrish, Westminster posted a 21-5 record last season and was second in the RMAC with a 17-5 league ledger, but was not eligible for the playoffs while transitioning to NCAA Division II. Only four players return.
 
> The teams met for the first time ever last season and Westminster came away with an 83-77 home victory over the Falcons on Nov. 25, 2017.
 
Scouting Azusa Pacific (1-2)
> The Cougars are coming off a 21-11 season that ended in the second round of the NCAA playoffs. They placed third in the PacWest with a 15-5 mark.
 
> Senior guard Darien McClain returns after topping Azusa with 14.6 points per game. He also led APU in 3-pointers made (73), steals (40) and free throws made (126).
 
> The Cougars were also impacted by the Northern California fire and had two tournament games, against Chico State and Cal Poly Pomona, canceled last week.
 
> Azusa played three games before last weekend's tournament cancelation, losing 77-61 to Lindenwood and 79-70 to Embry-Riddle before beating Drury 65-64.
 
> The Falcons own a 5-2 edge in the all-time series, including a 73-68 home win in the last encounter, on Nov. 25, 2016. In the meeting before that, APU was a 77-66 victor on Mar. 11, 2016 in a first-round NCAA Tournament game in Monmouth, Ore.
 
Wonderful Wooten
Senior Coleman Wooten was recognized as a second-team All-GNAC honoree for his all-around prowess last season. He was an honorable mention selection in 2017. Wooten led SPU in assists with 83 (2.9 apg) and was second in rebounds (7.0 rpg) while scoring at an 11.0-point clip on 54-percent shooting accuracy. On Jan. 17, 2017 Wooten erupted for a career-high 35 points at Saint Martin's. The 6-foot-5 forward has 16 career games of 20 points or more and 14 double-digit rebounds games, including a career-high 16 boards on Nov. 18, 2016. The two-time Sodexo Classic MVP has 10 career double-doubles.
 
Exhibition Recap
Coleman Wooten produced an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double for Seattle Pacific, which led at halftime before succumbing to 25th-ranked Washington during the final nine minutes of a 70-61 exhibition men's basketball loss at Alaska Airlines Arena on Nov. 1. Wooten hit 7 of 15 shots from the field, including 2-for-3 accuracy from 3-point range. Gavin Long finished with 15 points and he was the only other Falcon to finish with double-digits. Jalen Nowell paced the Huskies with 23 points while David Crisp added 20. UW's Matisse Thybulle finished with eight steals, seven points and seven rebounds. SPU shot 38 percent (24 of 64) from the field while the Huskies managed 40 percent (21 of 53). The Falcons shot 41 percent (7 of 17) to get outscored by 14 points at the line by UW (21 of 32). Both teams committed 19 turnovers. SPU trailed 11-0 before Long made a layup 3:10 into the game. SPU held the Huskies scoreless for almost seven minutes en route to a 15-0 run and 25-18 lead. The Falcons, who led 27-26 at halftime, were up 47-46 with 9:09 remaining before a five-point surge put UW ahead for good.
 
Super Students
Six student-athletes from this year's SPU team were 2018 All-GNAC Academic honorees, led by Sam Simpson with a 3.87 grade point in biochemistry. Nathan Streufert boasts a 3.76 GPA in physiology. The other academic all-stars are: Gabe Colosimo (3.49, psychology), Gavin Long (3.41, physiology), Conner Van Dyken (3.31, health) and Coleman Wooten (3.50, accounting).

 

Gavin the Great
Gavin Long was a 2018 honorable mention All-GNAC selection. He is SPU's top returning scorer with an 11.9-point average. The 6-foot-5 junior guard poured in a career-high 26 points at Simon Fraser on Jan. 25, 2018, the top scoring game by a Falcon last season. That eclipsed the 24-point performance Long produced in the season opener versus Sonoma State on Nov. 10, 2017. He ranked second on the team in blocked shots (15) and third in both field goal accuracy (52.4%) and assists (53).
 
Carom Collector
Senior Nathan Streufert was a dominating presence on the boards last year, collecting 7.4 caroms per game to lead SPU. On Feb. 1 versus Alaska Anchorage, he out-rebounded the rest of his teammates by a 17-14 margin. His father, Earl Streufert, is the boy's basketball coach at Richland (Wash.) High School.
 
Terrific Transfer
Senior Nikhil Lizotte was fourth on the team with 9.8 points per game in 2018 with 13 double-digit efforts. He was the Falcons top free throw shooter at 86.9 percent (73-84). 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 in 2016-17. 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.
 
Coach Leep
Grant Leep, 38, begins his third season directing the SPU men's basketball program after seven years as an assistant on the Falcons staff. He has a 29-28 career record. Leep coached the 2018 team to a 17-12 record, including an 11-9 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 Review
The Falcons finished the 2017-18 season with a 17-12 record, tying for fourth in the standings with an 11-9 mark. They qualified for the GNAC Tournament and beat Alaska Anchorage in the first round before a semifinal loss to Western Oregon. Coleman Wooten earned second-team All-GNAC honors and Gavin Long was honorable mention.
 
Postseason Pursuit
SPU seeks to return to the NCAA Division II Tournament after a two-year absence. Prior to that, the Falcons forged a run of 12 straight playoff berths, from 2005-2016, that was the longest active streak among Division II men's basketball teams. SPU advanced to the national semifinals in both 2000 and 2006, placing third both times.