WEST REGION CHALLENGE SCHEDULE
Friday, Nov. 8                       Seattle Pacific at Humboldt State, 7:00 p.m.
                                                Lumberjack Arena / Arcata, Calif.
                                                Live Webcast (pay-per-view)        Live stats
 
Saturday, Nov. 9                  Seattle Pacific vs. Fresno Pacific, 5:00 p.m.
                                                Lumberjack Arena / Arcata, Calif.
                                                Live Webcast (pay-per-view)        Live stats
 

        Weekly release (PDF)
 
SEATTLE – A couple of scrimmages. An exhibition game.
 
All of the no-count stuff is now in the past for the Seattle Pacific Falcons.
 
From this weekend on, everything counts.
 
The Falcons officially open the 2019-20 women's basketball season this week when they travel to Northern California for the West Region Challenge. Humboldt State's Lumberjack Arena in Arcata will be the venue for a pair of games in the preseason tournament.
 
Host Humboldt is first up, squaring off against SPU on Friday at 7:00 p.m., the second game of a doubleheader. On Saturday, the Falcons get the twin bill opener, taking on Fresno Pacific at 5:00 p.m.
 
Seattle Pacific played its lone exhibition game last Saturday in Brougham Pavilion, leading except for the opening moments of the game and finally pulling away to beat Puget Sound, 76-63.
 
This will be the first of three consecutive preseason tournaments for the Falcons.
 
FOLLOW IT LIVE
All games of the tournament will have pay-per-view live Webcasts. That link is available at the top of this story. Free live stats will be available, and that link also is at the top of this story.
 
FALCONS TABBED 9^TH in GNAC
SPU has been picked for a ninth-place finish in the upcoming Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball season.
 
In the preseason coaches poll released on Tuesday, SPU received 39 points in the voting by conference coaches.
 
Central Washington, Western Washington, and Alaska Anchorage were in a near dead heat for the favorite's role. Central collected five first-place votes and 109 points. Western had three firsts and 107 points; Anchorage got the other three firsts and 104 points.
 




SO WHAT'S THE STORY THIS WEEK?
-- The Falcons will be tipping off the 45^th season of Seattle Pacific women's basketball. The first official varsity season was 1975-76.
-- SPU has a 34-10 record in season openers.
-- Last year's opener did not go the Falcons' way, as Fresno Pacific scored an 80-69 victory at the West Region Crossover Classic in Bellingham. Jessica Malazarte, one of this year's returners for the Sunbirds, went off for 32 points, hitting 10 of her 18 shots, seven of those makes coming from downtown.
-- Humboldt State also came out on top of SPU in Bellingham, 79-77. Lumbejacks returner Alexia Thrower converted a pair of tie-breaking free throws with 1.3 seconds left after the Falcons had erased a 10-point deficit.
-- Thrower and Tyra Turner combined for 33 points against SPU.
-- That outcome ended Seattle Pacific's 29-game winning streak in the series. Prior to that, Humboldt's only win vs. the Falcons had come in November 1993.
-- SPU and Humboldt State used to be stablemates. They were in the Pacific West for three seasons (1998-99 through 2000-01), then in the GNAC for five (2001-02 through 2005-06). After that Humboldt left for the CCAA.
-- This marks the seventh year in a row that SPU, Humboldt, Fresno Pacific, and Western Washington have gotten together for a preseason tournament.
-- The Falcons are looking to step up their performance on the road after going just 2-12 in out-of-town games.
-- Among the returning players, seniors Hailee Bennett and Madi Hingston led the Falcons in scoring three times each last season and sophomore Ashley Alter led the way once. Bennett also was either the leader or co-leader in assists seven times.
-- Hingston found her groove late in the season. Through the final 10 games, she set career highs in all five major statistical categories: points (17), rebounds (6), assists (4), blocked shots (2), and steals (6).
 
SCOUTING REPORT
HUMBOLDT STATE LUMBERJACKS: 19-8, 17-5 CCAA (3^rd)
All-time series: SPU leads, 30-2. Current series streak: HSU won 1. Last time: HSU 79, SPU 77 (Nov. 10, 2018 at Bellingham). Lumberjacks on the Web.
Lumberjacks in a nutshell: Humboldt State went all the way to the NCAA West Regionals last season and gave Northwest Nazarene a run for it before falling, 85-75. The Jacks return top scorer Alexia Thrower, a senior 5-foot-10 guard / forward who averaged a double-double of 17.7 points and 10.3 rebounds. She also is a sharp shooter, hitting 53 percent from the field. Tyra Turner, a senior 5-5 guard, also is back with her 12.3 scoring average. She is an all-around player, as she also contributed 5.3 rebounds and a team-high 5.6 assists. Madeline Hatch is a senior 5-5 guard who scored at an 8.4 clip and is one of the go-to players from 3-point range, as she buried 58 shots from behind the arc, shooting 34 percent. Altogether, the Lumberjacks return players who averaged 44 of the team's 70 points in 2018-19. And, they took good care of the basketball, averaging just 12 turnovers per game, the lowest total in the California Collegiate Athletic Association.
 
FRESNO PACIFIC SUNBIRDS: 19-10, 15-7 Pac West (5^th)
All-time series: SPU leads, 7-2. Current series streak: Fresno won 1. Last time: Fresno 80, SPU 69 (Nov. 9, 2018 at Bellingham). Sunbirds on the Web.
Sunbirds in a nutshell: Although leading scorer Bree Alvarez (16.4 points per game) graduated, Fresno Pacific returns three other double-digit scorers from a team that just missed making the NCAA Tournament last season. Jessica Malazarte is a junior 5-foot-2 guard who averaged 15.2 points, 3.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game. More than half of her field goals (72 of 140) were from 3-point territory. Senior Cassie Pisik, a 5-11 forward, tallied 12.6 points per game and pulled down a team-high 8.7 rebounds. She also was the top shooter from the floor at 43.2 percent. Senior guard Ashley Cross, who stands 5-8, chipped in 10.7 points per game, and was the best Sunbird at getting to the free throw line, where she drained 99 of 132, the most makes and attempts for the team. Rachel Berry was a reliable reserve last season, playing all 29 games, and chipping in 6.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists.
 
SIMONSON SAYS …
(On what he has seen so far)
"We want our team to be competitive and gritty. So this whole fall, everything we have done has kind of catered to that. Every drill has been competitive – tons of rebounding, tons of pressure put on both teams, offensively and defensively."
 
 

(On the improvements he has seen)
"Last year, we talked about some of the things we needed to get better at. One was rebounding, one was execution in close games. Going into this year, the team has taken it upon themselves that we need to kind of improve in those areas. So they have been open arms and loving it. One of our mottos is, 'Don't forget to compete,' and we do that in every drill."
 
(On what opponents and fans will see from the Falcons on the court)
"I hope they see that we're devoted and passionate. I hope they see the bench is really into it and into what's going on in the game. When we have momentum swings, seeing a team that really comes together, fights together, and celebrates together. Those are things I hope you really see that are gong to trickle down into other areas on the court. It comes with those cohesive pieces in our culture that creates a gritty, smart basketball team."
 
(On the challenging early-season schedule)
""We always want to schedule very tough because we want to go to postseason and the NCAA Tournament. Our league is very tough, so we better prepare for conference. The great thing about both of these teams (Humboldt and Fresno Pacific) is they bring almost everybody back too, so they're very talented, and it will be a great test."
 
(On heading into his second season as head coach)
"Last year, getting the job late, I felt like we hit the ground running. This year, we had a spring, a summer, and a fall heading into the season. I felt like a lot of the stylistic things we want to do offensively and defensively, things we want preached in our culture, we could really reinforce for six months."
 
INTERNATIONAL INTRIGUE
Over the years, the Falcons have enjoyed the benefit of some top-caliber talent from other corners of the world. Most recently, that included Australian native Riley Evans, who completed her career last winter with her best season, averaging 11.9 points and setting a single-season program record for free throw accuracy at 92.3 percent (60 of 65).
 
 

Heading into this season, Abril Rexach Roure has come aboard. She hails from Lieda in the Catalonia region of Spain.
 
A junior, she is a 5-foot-5 point guard who starred for Eastern Wyoming College, a National Junior College Athletic Association school in the city of Torrington. Last season, Rexach Roure led that organization's Division I school in assists with 243 in 33 games, an average of 7.4 per game. She was named to the All-Region team twice.
 
Rexach Roure started last Saturday's exhibition game against Puget Sound, scoring 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting and dishing five assists in the 76-63 win.
 
And, for the record: The proper pronunciation of her name is uh-BRILL ruh-SHACK ROAR-ee.
 
ANOTHER CC STAR LANDS IN SPU'S ORBIT
For the second straight season, a leading player from a team that played in the Northwest Athletic Conference championship game has chosen SPU to continue her career.

Ashlynn

Burgess, a 5-10 junior, helped Wenatchee Valley win last year's crown for Pacific Northwest two-year schools. The forward started all 33 games for the Knights and averaged a team-high 18.5 points. She came up big in the 74-70 title-game victory against Umpqua with 16 points, five rebounds, four steals, and two blocked shots.
 
Burgess was named the NWAC Player of the Year and the East Region MVP.
 
In the Puget Sound exhibition game, Burgess scored a game-high 23 points, hitting 10 of 12 from the floor. She also collected four rebounds, all in 25 minutes.
 
Last year, Jade Skidmore came to the Falcons after leading Walla Walla Community College into the NWAC final. Skidmore played in all 27 games for SPU, averaging 4.8 points and 2.4 rebounds. She chose to end her career after the season.
 
EXTRA POSTSEASON INCENTIVE
Getting into postseason play is always the ultimate goal. Last year, the Falcons went all the way to the final week of last season before falling just short of a spot in the GNAC Tournament.
 
The certainly don't want to miss out this season. That's because Seattle Pacific is hosting the tournament for the first time.
 
The top six teams in the final standing for the women and the men will gather in Brougham Pavilion on Thursday through Saturday, March 5-7. The top two receive a first-round bye, while No. 3 will face No. 6, and No. 4 will play No. 5.
 
The first day will have men's first-round games at noon and 2:15 p.m., then women's first-rounders at 5:15 and 7:30 p.m. Semifinals on Friday the 6^th will occupy the same time slots: afternoon for the men, evening for the women.
 
Championship contests will be on Saturday the 7^th at 5:00 p.m. for the men and 7:30 p.m. for the women.
 
The tournament winners will receive the GNAC's automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament. Those teams that do not win will be considered for the five West Region at-large berths, based on their overall records.
 
MILESTONES IN THE MAKING
100^th field goal       Hailee Bennett (has 97)
100^th point             Natalie Hoff (has 88)
                             Ashley Alter (has 83)
100^th rebound        Hailee Bennett (has 99)
                            Madi Hingston (has 66)
                            Natalie Hoff (has 62)
200^th point            Kaprice Boston (has 194)
                            Madi Hingston (has 156)
300^th point           Hailee Bennett (has 398)
 
AROUND THE WEST
Central Washington, Western Washington, and Alaska Anchorage come into the season regarded as the teams to beat in the GNAC. They split the 11 first-place votes in the preseason coaches poll, with five going to Central and three each to Western and Anchorage. The Falcons will get a look at WWU this weekend, as the Vikings also are playing in the tournament at Humboldt State. Central Washington is hosting a crossover that includes Northwest Nazarene, Hawaii Pacific, and Stanislaus State. Anchorage is hosting one with Alaska Fairbanks, Chaminade, and San Francisco State.
 
UC San Diego, playing its final year in NCAA Division II before moving up to D1, is the favorite to win the California Collegiate Athletic Association title. The Tritons received 11 of 13 first-place votes in that preseason poll. Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State San Marcos picked up one each. Humboldt State, SPU's opponent on Friday, was fourth.
 
Azusa Pacific is the overwhelming favorite to claim the Pacific West Conference crown. The Cougars, who won last year's NCAA West Region title to make the Elite Eight, were marked No. 1 on 11 of the 12 preseason poll ballots. The other first-place vote went to Hawaii Pacific, which edged Point Loma Nazarene for second place. Fresno Pacific, which will face the Falcons on Saturday, was fourth.
 
UP NEXT
Seattle Pacific will take on not one, but two conference favorites next weekend at the West Region Crossover Classic in Azusa, Calif. On Friday, Nov. 15, it's host Azusa Pacific at 7:30 p.m. in the Felix Event Center. Less than 24 hours later, the Falcons will be on the court with UC San Diego, tipping off at 6:00 p.m.