THE SCHEDULE
Thursday, Feb. 21               Alaska Anchorage at Seattle Pacific, 7:30 p.m.
                                                Brougham Pavilion (2,650) / Seattle, Wash..
                                                Live Webcast        Live stats
 
Saturday, Feb. 23                Alaska Fairbanks at Seattle Pacific, 4:00 p.m.
                                                Brougham Pavilion (2,650) / Seattle, Wash.
                                                Live Webcast        Live stats
 

        Weekly release, with complete updated stats (PDF)

SEATTLE – First, it's a nationally ranked opponent. Then, it's Senior Day.
 
The final week in Brougham Pavilion this season is stacking up to be quite an eventful one for the Seattle Pacific Falcons.
 
Still battling to gain a spot in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Tournament, SPU winds up the home portion of its women's basketball schedule by welcoming No. 9-ranked Alaska Anchorage on Thursday night, followed by Alaska Fairbanks on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Falcons and Seawolves tip off at 7:30 p.m. the second half of a doubleheader that begins at 5:15 when the Seattle Pacific men tangle with Montana State Billings. Saturday's Senior Day game against Fairbanks begins at 4:00 p.m.
 
SPU (7-16 overall, 6-10 GNAC) is looking to halt a four-game losing streak. Their last win did come in Brougham, a 79-74 decision against Montana State Billings on Jan. 31.
 
FOLLOW IT LIVE
Both games this week and all remaining games this season will have free live Webcasts and free live stats. Maxwell Gun will be on the play-by-play. The appropriate links can be found at the top of this story.
 
TICKET TALK
Ticket prices are $10 for reserved seats for all ages, $7 for adult general admission, and $5 for youths, students, and senior citizens. Children 2 and under are free. SPU students, faculty, and staff will be admitted free with a valid current identification card.
 
A new ticketing system, which will allow online ordering and payment by credit card at Brougham Pavilion ticket windows, is up and operating. Cash will continue to be accepted at the ticket windows, as well.

NIGHT AGAINST WOMEN'S CANCERS
The Falcons will salute women fighters and survivors of cancer during Thursday night's game against Alaska Anchorage. Some of them will be introduced personally. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game, and the first 100 fans through the door who are in pink will be given a complimentary cupcake.
 




FINAL BROUGHAM BOWS FOR 5 SENIORS
Although they'll have two road games and potentially some postseason contests still to come, the Falcons will bid a formal farewell to five seniors on Saturday prior to tip-off against Alaska Fairbanks. 

Jaylee

Albert has run the show from the point this year. She is averaging single-season career bests of 7.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, and .420 shooting from the field. She also has a team-high 80 assists, has twice set a career scoring, high, and had a points-assists double of 12 and 10 at Central Washington in January.
 
 

Riley Evans is the team's leading scorer at 12.8 points per game. She had logged her 400^th career point earlier in the year, and has emerged as one of the best free throw shooters in the country. Evans came into this week hitting .921 at the line, giving her a chance to go out with the single-season record in that category.
 
 

Jane Grisley has not seen any action this season because of an injury. In fact, Grisley has gone through four knee surgeries during her career here, but has still been one of the team's vocal leaders and the consummate teammate even when she hasn't been able to get onto the court.
 
 

Carly Rataushk is having her best single season in a maroon uniform. She is averaging career-best marks of 7.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. She comes into this week just four points away from the 400^th point of her career and five rebounds away from collecting 100 in a season for the first time.
 
 

After last season was cut short by a knee injury, Cici West has made the most of this one. She is the GNAC's leading rebounder at 8.9 per game, and has topped 200 points and 200 rebound for the year with four games still to play. West has logged eight double-doubles, one of which included a career high-tying 18 rebounds at Central Washington on Jan. 12.
 


SO WHAT'S THE STORY THIS WEEK?
-- The Falcons are 5-6 in Brougham Pavilion, 4-4 in GNAC home games.
-- Thursday's contest against Alaska Anchorage will be SPU's fifth against a nationally ranked team this season. The others were one against Azusa Pacific, two against Northwest Nazarene, and the last one against Anchorage.
-- The Falcons and Seawolves split last year's regular-season series, each team winning at home.
-- Against Fairbanks on Saturday, SPU will be going for a season series sweep.
-- In fact, that will be the first of three straight series sweep opportunities, with the others being in next week's games at Western Oregon and Concordia-Portland.
-- The Falcons certainly will be looking to put some more points on the board against Anchorage. When the teams played in Alaska last month, the Seawolves kept SPU without a field goal for nearly 20 minutes and went on a 20-0 scoring run on the way to a 78-37 win.
-- That was the first time since Jan. 23,1991, that the Falcons had not hit the 40-point mark in a game.
 

-- Hailee Bennett scored a career-high 18 points in SPU's 62-55 win at Fairbanks on Jan. 24. That was the third of three straight games in double-figure points for Bennett.
-- Bennett has hit her last 26 free throws in a row, but has not been to the line in the last four games.
-- When the Falcons prevailed in Fairbanks, it went into the book as their 60^th victory all-time victory against the Nanooks, more than they have versus any other opponent.
-- Cici West is No. 2 among GNAC rebounders at 8.9 per game. Kassidy Malcolm of Central Washington edged ahead of her last week. Malcolm has 210 boards in 23 games for a 9.1 average. West is at 204 in 23 games.
 
SCOUTING THE ALASKA ANCHORAGE SEAWOLVES: 23-1, 15-1 GNAC (tie 1^st)
All-time series: SPU leads, 41-30. Current series streak: UAA won 1. Last time: UAA 78, SPU 37 (Jan. 26 at Anchorage). Seawolves on the Web.
Anchorage arrives in Seattle having won 16 in a row, including 14 straight after its only loss of the year, 84-68 at Northwest Nazarene way back on Dec. 1. Of those 16, the closest call was on Feb. 2 in Burnaby when the Seawolves had come from six points down in the final five minutes to beat Simon Fraser, 68-63. UAA is by far and away the best defensive team in the GNAC, and one of the best in Division II. It allows just 55.7 points per game (No. 18 of 301 programs nationally), is No. 2 in the country for steals per game (15.1) and is No. 5 in turnovers forced (23.78, including all of those steals). The Falcons certainly got a taste of that last month in Alaska when they turned it over 24 times, 13 of which were Anchorage steals. Senior 6-foot-2 forward / center Hannah Wandersee remains the only Seawolf averaging in double-figure points at 14.7 per game, No. 5 in the conference. She also grabs a team-high 5.2 rebounds. In the 9s for scoring are Yazmeen Goo (9.8), Sydni Stallworth (9.6) and Safiyah Yasin (9.0).
 
SCOUTING THE ALASKA FAIRBANKS NANOOKS: 4-18, 1-15 GNAC (11^th)
All-time series: SPU leads, 60-16. Current series streak: SPU won 3. Last time: SPU 62, UAF 55 (Jan. 24 at Fairbanks). Nanooks on the Web.
Nanooks in a nutshell: It was most definitely a happy Valentine's Day in Fairbanks last week after a come-from-behind 68-65 victory against Western Oregon. That snapped a 17-game losing streak for the season and a 36-game streak in GNAC play dating back to February 2017. The 68 points were 10 more than the Nanooks have been averaging this season, although they certainly have shown they can put points on the board, with six games in the 60s and four in the 70s. Setting the pace offensively is 5-foot-11 senior forward Marian Wamsley at 12.6 per game, with 5-7 junior guard Kylie Wallace chipping in 11.3. Wamsley went for 23 against Western Oregon, her second game of the year with that many. Ashlie Blackburn, a 5-9 senior forward, adds 7.9 points and a team-high 5.6 rebounds per game, although Wamsley (5.5) and Wallace (5.2) are close behind her in that department. Sabrina Ungaro, a 5-2 redshirt junior guard, is tied for No. 6 in the GNAC at 3.6 assists per game.
 
FALCONS REPLAY
--Simon Fraser his 16 shots from behind the 3-point arc last Thursday, 10 of those in the final 17½ minutes of the game after SPU had taken a four-point lead, and went on to beat the Falcons, 82-61.
--Kaprice Boston scored 10 points, but was the only SPU player in double figures, and Western Washington went on a decisive 11-0 run in the third quarter on the way to a 60-43 victory last Saturday in Bellingham.

FALCONS SITTING ON THE GNAC TOURNEY BUBBLE
Last week's road losses at Simon Fraser and Western Washington dropped SPU out of a sixth-place tie in the conference standings and into a two-way tie for seventh with four games left.
 
At 6-10 in GNAC play, Seattle Pacific is one game below Concordia-Portland. The Cavaliers were 2-6 and near the bottom of the standings toward the end of January, but have won five of their last eight and now sit alone in what would be the sixth and final GNAC Tournament spot.
 
While SPU is home this week, Concordia is on the road, visiting Western Oregon on Tuesday in its final away game of the season. It then is home against Montana State Billings on Thursday (the Yellowjackets are the other team tied with Seattle Pacific), then hosts Saint Martin's next Thursday and the Falcons in the regular-season finale on Saturday, March 2.
 
Northwest Nazarene, Alaska Anchorage, and Simon Fraser have clinched three of the tournament's six berths. Central Washington is on the verge of wrapping up a spot.
 
The tournament, which will determine the conference's automatic qualifier to the NCAAs, is Thursday through Saturday, March 7-9, at Western Washington's Carver Gymnasium.
 
ROOT, ROOT, ROOT FOR THE … LAKERS?
While the college season gradually moves toward its conclusion within the next several weeks, the NBA, in some ways, is just getting geared up, with the drive to the playoffs coming into focus following this past weekend's All-Star break.
 
Several of the Falcons will have more than a passing interest, as they have listed various NBA teams as their favorites to watch.
 
Jaylee Albert – San Antonio Spurs.
Ashley Alter – Oklahoma City Thunder.
Bayley Brennan and Kaprice Boston – Los Angeles Lakers.
Rachel Berg – Cleveland Cavaliers.
Jane Grisley and Madi Hingston – Golden State Warriors.
Natalie Hoff – Portland Trail Blazers.
Jade Skidmore – Boston Celtics.
 
WATCHING THE RECORD BOOK
With four regular-season games remaining, plus the possibility of postseason play, some spots in the record book are still within reach of a select group of Falcons.
 
-- Riley Evans is shooting .921 at the free throw line (58 of 63). The record is .917 by Suzanna Ohlsen in the 2013-14 season (77 of 84).
-- Evans' career mark is 74 of 83 (.892). Ohlsen has the record at .872 (260 of 298). Evans will need at least 17 more attempts to qualify, as a player must have at least 100 attempts over two years or more.
-- Hailee Bennett is in a similar situation for single-season free throw shooting. She's at .897 (35 of 39), which would put her at No. 3. However, a player needs at least 50 attempts to qualify for consideration.
-- Cici West has 204 rebounds, putting her 45 away from the single-season top 10 in that category. Megan Hoisington is currently No. 10 with 249 in 2009-10.
 
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
Among the 301 NCAA Division II programs, Seattle Pacific ranks:
-- 53^rd in 3-point shooting percentage at .346 (Dominican 1^st at .403).
-- 55^th in fewest fouls committed with 382 (Tampa 1^st with 246).
 
INDIVIDUALLY:
-- Riley Evans 46^th in 3-point percentage at .387.
-- Evans 4^th in free throw percentage at .921
-- Cici West 66^th in rebounds per game at 8.9.
 
Evans shot just two free throws last week, but hit both of them, adding another three percentage points. Mckayla Roberts of LeMoyne (Syracuse, N.Y.) leapfrogged Lakin Preisner of East Central (Ada, Okla.).  for the national lead. Roberts is now at .939 (92 of 98), Preiser is second at .933 (84 of 90).

Click on this link to see how the Falcons stack up nationally across all statistical categories. Click on this link to see where other GNAC teams and players rank.
 
MILESTONES IN THE MAKING
100^th point             Natalie Hoff (has 86)
100^th 3-pointer      Jaylee Albert (has 98)
100^th field goal      Hailee Bennett (has 90)
100^th rebound       Riley Evans (has 94)
400^th point           Carly Rataushk (has 396)
1,000^th point        Jade Skidmore (has 981)
 
MADE LAST WEEK
100^th rebound       Kaprice Boston (has 102)
300^th field goal     Cici West (has 305)
 
AROUND THE WEST
Things keep rolling along for Alaska Anchorage and Northwest Nazarene in the GNAC. Both tacked on two more wins last week and are now 23-1, 15-1 GNAC. The first set of NCAA regional rankings are due out this week, with the Seawolves and Nighthawks both likely to be near the top of the West list. Simon Fraser (16-7, 12-4 GNAC) became the latest team to secure a place in the conference tournament, meaning three of the six berths now have been claimed, and Central Washington hoping to follow suit this week.
 
UC San Diego has a chance to wrap up the California Collegiate Athletic Association crown this week. The Tritons boosted their record to 22-0, 18-0 in the conference, and potentially could be looking at the top spot on that aforementioned West Region list. Cal Poly Pomona (20-4, 16-3) figures to be on there, as well, and Humboldt State (15-6, 13-5) also has a chance.
 
Azusa Pacific took a big step toward the Pacific West Conference title by beating Hawaii Pacific last Saturday, 71-63. The Cougars (20-4, 17-1) had lost to the Sharks (18-7, 16-3) in Honolulu last month. HPU and Dominican (19-4, 16-3) are now tied for second, 1½ games behind Azusa.
 
UP NEXT
The regular season wraps up in Oregon next week for SPU. Up first is a visit to Western Oregon on Thursday, Feb. 28, at 6:00 p.m. (one hour earlier than usual). Then it's finale at Concordia-Portland on Saturday, March 2, at 2:00 p.m. Depending on how things play out this week, either or both of those games could determine if the Falcons make it to the GNAC Tournament.
 
  
GNAC STANDINGS
                                                Conference          Overall
Alaska Anchorage         15-1        23-1
Northwest Nazarene       15-1        23-1
Simon Fraser             12-4        16-7
Central Washington       10-6        15-8
Western Washington        9-7        14-10
Concordia-Portland        7-9        12-12
Montana State Billings    6-10       10-12
Seattle Pacific           6-10        7-16
Western Oregon            4-12        7-15
Saint Martin's            3-13        5-19
Alaska Fairbanks          1-15        4-18