THE SCHEDULE
Thursday, Feb. 28               Seattle Pacific at Western Oregon, 6;00 p.m.
                                                New P.E. Building / Monmouth, Ore.
                                                Live Webcast        Live stats
 
Saturday, March 2              Seattle Pacific at Concordia-Portland, 2:00 p.m.
                                                LCEF Court / Portland, Ore.
                                                Live Webcast        Live stats
 
 
        Weekly release, with complete updated stats (PDF)
 
SEATTLE – So … this is it.
 
For the Seattle Pacific Falcons, extending their women's basketball season beyond this week will come down to not only what they do on the court, but what some other teams do, as well.
 
First things first: SPU winds up the regular season with road games at Western Oregon on Thursday at 6:00 p.m., and then at Concordia-Portland on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. The Falcons have not seen either of those teams since they defeating both of them in Brougham Pavilion to tip off the GNAC schedule: 75-64 against Concordia, 73-68 against WOU. That was the week after Thanksgiving.
 
Now, they are playing for a spot in next week's conference tournament.
 
SPU does hit the road on a winning note, having defeated Alaska Fairbanks in the home finale last Saturday, 67-60. That gave the Falcons a split for the week, as they bounced back from Thursday's 68-53 loss to No. 9 Alaska Anchorage.
 
FOLLOW IT LIVE
Both games this week will have free live Webcasts and free live stats. The appropriate links can be found at the top of this story.
 
Falcon fans who wish to keep an eye on other games that could affect their chances of qualifying for the GNAC Tournament can do so by clicking on this link.
 
LET'S CUT TO THE TOURNAMENT CHASE
The top six teams in the final standings will qualify for the GNAC Tournament – and at this point and in their situation, every game is essentially a tournament game for the Falcons, beginning Thursday at Western Orefgon.
 
Seattle Pacific (8-17, 7-11 GNAC) starts the week in a seventh-place tie with Montana State Billings. Both are two games behind Western Washington and Concordia-Portland (tied for fifth at 9-9) with two games left.
 
  For the Falcons, getting into the tournament starts with having to win at Western Oregon and Concordia. Even a split won't work – it has to be two wins.
 
But even winning both games doesn't guarantee a postseason trip. They need help from elsewhere.
 
Among Concordia and Western Washington, SPU must hope that at least one of those teams loses both games. The Cavaliers host Saint Martin's on Thursday before welcoming the Falcons to town on Saturday. The Vikings are home against Simon Fraser on Tuesday, then travel to Billings on Thursday.
 
CU and WWU each need to take just one of their two games to reach 10 wins and clinch a berth, as Seattle Pacific can only max out at nine in the 'W' column.
 
Depending on outcomes, various tiebreaker scenarios could come into play. Those will become more clear as the week moves along.
 
"We're blessed right now in that we're in a position where our games still mean a lot," head coach Mike Simonson said. "We have a great chance to get into the GNAC Tournament, and that's a blessing to finish the year. Win, and keep playing. Lose, and you're done. That's a good experience for this team to have. It will be interesting to see how we handle it. Regardless, the experience itself is going to grow this team."

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.
 




SO WHAT'S THE STORY THIS WEEK?
 

-- When the Falcons get to Concordia on Saturday, redshirt senior forward Cici West will walk back into the gym where her SPU career was temporarily derailed just as it was getting started. On Nov. 30, 2017, West, who transferred to SPU after completing her undergraduate degree and playing three years at Portland State, subbed into the game with 3:13 remaining before halftime. With just 25 seconds left, she went down hard while driving the left side of the court toward the SPU basket. The resulting knee injury required surgery and ended her season. She applied for and received a medical redshirt, and is using it this season.
-- West is making the most of it. She has nine double-doubles, with No. 9 coming on Saturday against Alaska Fairbanks. The last Falcon with that many in a season was Courtney Hollander in 2015-16. West collected her 800^th career rebound last Thursday and scored her 800^th point on Saturday.
-- The Falcons have a chance for two more season series sweeps.
-- They polished off their first sweep last Saturday by defeating Alaska Fairbanks, 67-60.
-- SPU's current eight-game winning streak against Western Oregon is the longest vs. any GNAC opponent. Its last loss to the Wolves was 67-62 in Monmouth on Jan. 22, 2015.
-- When the teams met in Seattle on Dec. 1, both of them spent a lot of time shooting – and hitting – free throws, as they were a combined 40 of 48. That included 26 of 32 by the Falcons, which are still season highs in makes and attempts. SPU Senior guard Riley Evans had the bulk of those, hitting 11 of 12.
-- Except for a 2-2 tie, the Falcons led from start to finish, They were up by 11 early in the fourth quarter at 52-41 before WOU ran off 10 straight points to make it close.
-- Seattle Pacific also led the GNAC-opening game against Concordia two nights earlier all the way except for one tie, that at 18-18 in the second quarter.
-- The Falcons are 2-10 out of town this season, including 2-8 in true road games.
-- Sophomore guard Hailee Bennett recorded her first career blocked shot last Saturday in the game against Alaska Fairbanks.
-- A pair of SPU players notched career highs in the December game against Western Oregon. Senior guard Riley Evans dished four assists. Sophomore guard Kaprice Boston came up with three blocked shots and four steals.
-- If the Falcons win both games, they will have 10, thereby stretching the streak of double-digit win seasons to 36. That streak began in 1983-84.
 
SCOUTING THE WESTERN OREGON WOLVES: 7-17, 4-14 GNAC (tie 9^th)
All-time series: SPU leads, 43-4. Current series streak: SPU won 8. Last time: SPU 73, WOU 68 (Dec. 1, 2018 at Seattle). Wolves on the Web.
Wolves in a nutshell: Western Oregon pulled off a 74-70 upset at Central Washington on Feb. 2, but is now trying to halt a six-game losing streak. They have taken some teams right down to the wire, falling by just two at Simon Fraser on Feb. 9 and by three at Alaska Fairbanks on Feb. 14. Natalie DeLonge, a 6-foot-2 junior center, has taken on a good chunk of the scoring load, averaging 14.5 points per game to rank No. 5 in the GNAC. She has led the team in scoring 14 of the last 18 games, including a stretch of seven in a row that spanned most of January. She is coming off season highs of 27 points and 15 rebounds last Thursday at home against Montana State Billings. She is the only WOU player averaging in double figures, also leads the team in rebounding at 7.3 per game (No. 7 GNAC), and has six double-doubles. Keyonna Jones, a 5-6 freshman guard, is next on the list at 9.1 points and has handed out a team-high 86 assists (3.6 per game).
 
SCOUTING THE CONCORDIA-PORTLAND CAVALIERS: 14-12, 9-9 GNAC (tie 5^th)
All-time series: SPU leads, 10-2. Current series streak: SPU won 2. Last time: SPU 75 CU 64 (Nov. 29, 2018 at Seattle). Cavaliers on the Web.
Cavaliers in a nutshell: Concordia has won three straight and four of its last five (the only loss was at Alaska Anchorage) to get itself on the brink of making the postseason. That's a long way from the 0-4 start in GNAC play and its 2-6 record near the end of January. Leading the way is 5-7 sophomore guard Olivia Vezaldenos. When the Cavs and Falcons opened GNAC play on Nov. 29 in Seattle, Vezaldenos came off the bench for 16 minutes, and went scoreless. In the 20 games since then, she has been in double figures 19 times, with eight games in the 20s. She is now averaging a GNAC-leading15.4 points per game, and is a threat from 3-point range, burying 75 of them and hitting at a .395 clip. Keesha Sarman, a 5-6 senior guard, chips in 13.1 points per game, and was just named GNAC Player of the Week after an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double against Western Oregon last Tuesday, and a 20-point outing against Billings on Saturday. She also had five assists in each game  Kizzah Maltezo, a 5-6 junior guard, averages 10.8 points.
 
FALCON REPLAY
-- Alaska Anchorage blew out to a 26-point lead and limited SPU to just 16 points in the first half on the way to a 68-53 victory last Thursday.
-- Cici West celebrated Senior Day with her ninth double-double of the season, but it was junior Madi Hingston who lit up the scoreboard, pouring in a career-high 17 points as Seattle Pacific beat Alaska Fairbanks on Saturday, 67-60.
 
SIMONSON SAYS …
(On playing for a tourney berth)
"We're blessed right now in that we're in a position where our games still mean a lot. We have a great chance to get into the GNAC Tournament, and that's a blessing to finish the year. Win, and keep playing. Lose, and you're done. That's a good experience for this team to have. It will be interesting to see how we handle it. Regardless, the experience itself is going to grow this team."
 
(On Western Oregon)
"They're very physical. They have a pretty good roster, good size in the post with XXX DeLonge, and some good playmakers in the guard spots. They're scrappy and are going to compete very hard. We have to execute, take good care of the basketball, and do the little things right.
 
(On Concordia)
"They are very confident. When I think of them, they're fireworks. They can get going and drain a few 3s. If you have mishaps or fall asleep during the course of the game, they can go on huge runs. So we have to make sure we stop the bleeding whenever we have a mistake or two – that will be very important."
 
JUST …ONE … MORE … POINT
No matter where it comes from this week – the field or the foul line – the first point Jade Skidmore scores at either Western Oregon or at Concordia-Portland will be the 1,000^th of her career.
 
 

It appeared as if the junior guard might get there on her home court last Saturday against Alaska Fairbanks. She came in needing 11 points, and had six by halftime. Heading into the fourth quarter, Skidmore was just three points away, and nailed a jumper with 3:37 left. She got one more shot a minute later, but this one bounced off. That turned out to be her last try of the day, leaving her at 999 points.
 
This is Skidmore's first season with the Falcons She piled up 874 points during two seasons at Walla Walla Community College, helping the Warriors make back-to-back Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) title games, and winning it all last year.
 
JUST … THREE … MORE … REBOUNDS
Actually, it'll take a few more than that, but here's the gist of it: SPU senior Cici West and Central Washington sophomore Kassidy Malcolm are going right down to the wire for the GNAC rebounding title.
 
Heading into the final week of the regular season, both players have appeared in 25 games. Malcolm has 225 boards, an average of 9.0 per game. West has 222, an average of 8.9 per game.
 
West has the edge on the offensive glass, 71-60. Malcolm is ahead at the defensive end, 165-151.
 
In addition, West is close to making SPU's all-time single-season top 10, but will need a couple of big games to do it. The No. 10 spot currently belongs to Megan Hoisington. She had 249 in the 2009-10 season.
 
HINGSTON ON THE RISE
Regardless of when or how this season ends, Madi Hingston is setting herself up well for 2019-20.
 
The junior guard moved into the starting lineup on Feb. 9 against Northwest Nazarene, and had started four of the last five games. The exception was last Saturday against Alaska Fairbanks when all four seniors got to start in honor of Senior Day.
 
 

Ironically, in coming off the bench versus the Nanooks, Hingston delivered her best game as a Falcon. In 27 minutes, she popped in a career-high 17 points, hitting 7 of 12 from the floor, including 3 of 6 from downtown. She also handed out three assists, grabbed two rebounds, and had just one turnover.
 
Prior to her current stretch, Hingston had five other starts this winter, four of them from late November though mid-December while Hailee Bennett was coming back from an injury. During that stretch, she averaged 5.0 points and 4.5 rebounds.

WATCHING THE RECORD BOOK
With two 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 single-season record is .917 by Suzanna Ohlsen in the 2013-14 season (77 of 84). Because Evans has taken more than 50 attempts, she is eligible for that record.
-- Evans' career mark is 74 of 83 (.892). Ohlsen has the record at .872 (260 of 298). However, a player must have at least 100 attempts over two years or more to qualify. She has played four years, but has just 83 attempts.
-- 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.
 
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
Among the 301 NCAA Division II programs, Seattle Pacific ranks:
-- 52^nd in 3-point shooting percentage at .347 (Dominican 1^st at .400).
-- 53^rd in fewest fouls committed with 410 (Jefferson 1^st with 273).
 
INDIVIDUALLY:
-- Riley Evans 37th in 3-point percentage at .401.
-- Cici West 68th in rebounds per game at 8.9.

Click on this link to see how the Falcons stack up nationally. 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 field goal   Hailee Bennett (has 94)
100^th rebound      Riley Evans (has 98)
1,000^th point      Jade Skidmore (has 999)
 
MADE LAST WEEK
100^th 3-pointer    Jaylee Albert (has 100)
400^th point        Carly Rataushk (has 408)
 
AROUND THE WEST
The regular-season GNAC title and top seed into the conference tournament will, in all likelihood, be decided on Thursday night. That's when Alaska Anchorage plays host to Northwest Nazarene. Both teams are 25-1 overall, 17-1 in conference play. UAA's only loss was 84-68 in Nampa on Dec. 1. A chance to host the NCAA West Regionals also could be on the line.
 
For now, however, UC San Diego remains in charge of being the regional host. The Tritons improved to 24-0 overall, 20-0 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association last week. Cal Poly Pomona (21-4, 17-3) has a grip on second place, two games on Humboldt State with two left. Humboldt (17-6, 15-5) is still in position to join UCSD and Pomona at regionals.
 
Azusa Pacific has clinched at least a share of the Pacific West Conference crown. The Cougars (22-4, 19-1) have won five straight and are two games up on Dominican (20-4, 17-3) with two games left. One of those is between those two teams on Saturday at Azusa. Hawaii Pacific (19-8, 17-4) is on the brink of 20 wins.
 
UP NEXT
The Falcons are hoping to have more action to come next week in Bellingham at the GNAC Tournament. If they qualify, their first round game will be on Thursday, March 7, at either noon or 2:15 p.m. The semifinals on Friday the 8^th also are at noon and 2:15. The championship game is Saturday the 9^th at 5:15 p.m., all in Western Washington University's Carver Gymnasium.
 
 
GNAC STANDINGS
                                                Conference          Overall
Alaska Anchorage         17-1        25-1
Northwest Nazarene       17-1        25-1
Simon Fraser             13-5        17-8
Central Washington       11-7        16-9
Concordia-Portland        9-9        14-12
Western Washington        9-9        14-12
Montana State Billings    7-11       11-13
Seattle Pacific           7-11        8-17
Western Oregon            4-14        7-17
Saint Marti's             4-14        6-20
Alaska Fairbanks          1-17        4-20