THE SCHEDULE:             
                                           Thursday, Feb. 27: Northwest Nazarene at Seattle Pacific, 5:15 p.m.
                                           Brougham Pavilion (2,650) / Seattle, Wash.
                                           Live Webcast        Live stats
 
                                    Saturday, Feb. 29: Central Washington at Seattle Pacific, 2:00 p.m.
                                           Brougham Pavilion (2,650) / Seattle, Wash.
                                           Live Webcast        Live stats
 
 
        Weekly release, with complete updated season stats (PDF)
 
SEATTLE – The curtain comes down for the Seattle Pacific Falcons this week.
 
SPU will wrap up its women's basketball season with a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference home games. Northwest Nazarene comes to Brougham Pavilion on Thursday at 5:15 p.m., followed by Central Washington on Senior Day Saturday at 2:00 p.m.
 
Both are the opening games of doubleheaders. The Falcon men will follow against NNU at 7:30 on Thursday, and against Central Washington at 4:15 on Saturday.
 
Seattle Pacific (8-18, 6-12 GNAC) had been seeking to earn a spot in the conference tournament. But a loss at Saint Martin's last Tuesday, coupled with wins by Saint Martins against Montana State Billings and by Central Washington against Western Oregon last Thursday knocked the Falcons out of contention.
 
FOLLOW IT LIVE
Both of this week's games will have free live Webcasts and free live stats. Mark Aucutt will call the action on Thursday, then Andrew Harvey will be behind the microphone on Saturday. The appropriate links can be found at the top of this story.
 
TICKET TALK
Tickets for all Seattle Pacific home sports events are available either online or at the Brougham Pavilion ticket window. Prices for basketball are $10 for reserved seating, $7 for adult general admission, and $5 for student / youth / senior citizen general admission. SPU students and faculty / staff members with current valid school identification are admitted free. On doubleheader days, tickets are good for both games.
 
Fans who wish to purchase tickets online can do so by clicking on this link. Otherwise, ticket windows open 60 minutes prior to tip-off. Cash and credit cards are accepted at the windows.
 
CELEBRATING THE SENIORS
Prior to tip-off against Central Washington on Saturday, the Falcons will honor Hailee Bennett and Madi Hingston in a Senior Day ceremony.
 
 

Point guard Bennett is a native of Kalispell, Montana. After redshirting as a freshman in 2016-17, she has seen regular playing time ever since, whether off the bench as a sophomore or as a starter the past two season. This year, she has started all 26 games, and is the only Falcon to do that.
 
Bennett is enjoying by far the most productive season of her career. She has logged single-season highs for points, rebounds, and assists. She is the team's best free throw shooter, and at one point had a streak of 31 straight makes. She has three games in the 20-point range, including a career-high 29 against Cal State Los Angeles on Dec. 16
 
 

Likewise, Hingston is having her best season for the Falcons. A guard from Keizer, Oregon, she is posting career-best averages of 8.0 points and 3.4 rebounds coming into the final week. She is shooting a career-best 40.5 percent from the field.
 
On SPU's road trip to Oregon two weeks ago, Hingston scored a career-high 18 points at Western Oregon, then matched that two nights later at Concordia-Portland. She set a career rebounding high with seven at Northwest Nazarene on Dec. 7.
 
TOURNAMENT TALK
Seattle Pacific will host the GNAC Tournament next week in Brougham Pavilion on Iron Coaching Court. The tournament is set for Thursday through Saturday, March 5-7.
 
The first two days will feature four games each day. Men's first-round contests are at noon and 2:15 p.m. on Thursday, followed by women's first-rounders at 5:15 and 7:30. The same schedule will apply for the semifinals on Friday.
 
Saturday's championship contests will be at 5:15 p.m. for the men and 7:30 for the women.
 
Tickets will be available at the windows on game days, or can be purchased in advance through this online link.
 




SO WHAT'S THE STORY THIS WEEK?
-- The Falcons are looking to snap a three-game losing streak.
-- SPU has a 5-7 record at home.
-- As is standard practice on the GNAC schedule, this week's opponents across the conference have not seen each other since the opening week in December.
-- Northwest Nazarene and Central Washington are both coached by former Seattle Pacific assistants. Steve Steele is in his fourth season with the Nighthawks. Randi Richardson-Thornley is in her third season at the helm of the Wildcats and is in her fifth year overall with the program.
-- When the teams met in December, the Falcons did not have any double-digit scorers against Central Washington, and had just one – Ashlynn Burgess with 13 points – against Northwest Nazarene.
-- In both games, one quarter was decisive. At Central, the Falcons trailed just 31-26 at halftime, but the Wildcats had a 16-8 scoring advantage in the third quarter to extend their lead to 47-34. At Northwest Nazarene, SPU was down 12-11 after one, then saw the Nighthawks go on a 28-7 tear in the second for a 40-18 halftime advantage.
-- Central and Seattle Pacific remain the top two teams at the free throw line in the GNAC. The Wildcats are on top at .762, and the Falcons are close behind at .756.
-- Senior guard Hailee Bennett still leads the individual rankings at the foul line with her .865 percentage (64 of 74). But it's now a three-way race. Western Washington's Anna Schwecke is at .863 (82 of 95) and Central's Kaelie Flores is at .862 (56 of 65). The closest player to those three is Simon Fraser's Kendal Sands at .828 (77 of 93).
-- SPU also remains in the upper half of the conference in terms of field goal shooting at .416.
-- Saturday's game will feature two of the GNAC's best 3-point shooters. Central Washington senior Taylor Shaw leads the way at .448 (56 of 125), and SPU's Hailee Bennett is No. 8 at .385 (42 of 109).
-- Junior point guard Abril Rexach Roure is No. 7 in assists among GNAC players at 3.3 per game, totaling 87 for the season.
-- Coach Mike Simonson is seeking his first win in four tries against the Nighthawks and Wildcats.
 
SCOUTING REPORT
NORTHWEST NAZARENE NIGHTHAWKS: 20-6, 15-3 GNAC (2^nd)
All-time series: SPU leads, 31-13. Current series streak: NNU won 5. Last time: NNU 77, SPU 47 (Dec. 7, 2019 at Nampa). Nighthawks on the Web.
Nighthawks in a nutshell: Northwest Nazarene has locked up the No. 2 seed for the conference tournament and a first-round bye that goes along with it. It comes to Seattle on a five-game winning streak. Of the Nighthawks' starting five, three have answered the opening whistle in all 26 games, one had started 25, and the other has started 23. Senior 5-foot-9 guard Avery Albrecht averages 15.0 points per game for the highest-scoring team in the conference (78.3) to rank No. 3 in GNAC scoring. She is dangerous from wherever she shoots, as she hits .490 overall from the field, .363 from 3-point range and .802 at the foul line. Just two spots behind her on the GNAC scoring list is senior 5-8 guard Marina Valles at 14.3. Sophomore 6-0 forward Erin Jenkins chips in 12.0 points per game. Albrecht also sets the rebound pace for NNU at 6.0 per game. Valles has dished out 117 assists – just one off the GNAC lead.
 
CENTRAL WASHINGTON WILDCATS: 16-10, 11-7 GNAC (5^th)
All-time series: SPU leads, 49-34. Current series streak: CWU won 4. Last time: CWU 65, SPU 46 (Dec. 5, 2019 at Ellensburg). Wildcats on the Web.
Wildcats in a nutshell: Central Washington comes into the regular-season finales on an upswing, having swept the Oregon schools last week. It has five players with double-figure scoring averages, led by 5-foot-9 senior guard Alexa Pana's 14.2 points per game, which has her at No. 6 in GNAC scoring. Senior 6-foot forward Kaelie Flores and sophomore 6-2 center Samantha Bowman are both at 11.7 per game. Bowman shoots a stunning .611 from the field, hitting 113 of 185. (The only one higher in the GNAC is Western Washington's Anna Schwecke at .614.) Flores has 41 blocked shots, the conference's second-highest total. Taylor Shaw, a senior 5-8 guard, and Kassidy Malcolm, a junior 5-11 forward, are both at 10.9 per game. Providing a significant boost off the bench is redshirt senior 5-9 forward Jonnae Richardson. She averages 6.3 points and 4.4 rebounds. When Central and SPU met in December in Ellensburg, she turned her 20 minutes of action as a reserve into a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds. Last Saturday at Concordia-Portland, Richardson got just her third start of the season and produced her second double-double, this one with 15 points and 12 boards.
 

SIMONSON

SAYS …
(On the season)
We've had a really resilient group for the entire year. There have been a lot of situations and adversity that came into our season. There have been moments when an inexperienced group would potentially have given up or shown weakness, but we've always answered the call and had great practices on Mondays and Tuesdays. We're excited to go into this weekend and see that resilient group again come out and honor our seniors who have spent four good, solid years here.
 
(On Hailee Bennett)
"She's a natural-born leader. From Day One, she has utilized her voice. Her high character and her resiliency have been top-notch. To see her grow from a freshman to a leader, that growth and development was natural for her. It has been a pleasure and a joy to see – and she has had some really good basketball games. She has bought in fully to the things we've tried to accomplish here."
 
(On Madi Hingston)
"I'm so proud of her. She has grown as a player and person so much during her time here. She's a heckuva basketball player. And her humor and joy for life have been such a pleasure to be around. She has made a lasting impact on me as her coach to see that personality come out during her four years."

BENNETT NO. 2 ON CAREER FREE THROW LIST
As she prepares for the final two games as a Falcon, Hailee Bennett has a career free throw percentage of .867, hitting 124 of 143. That ranks No. 2 on SPU's all-time list. The only one ahead of her is Suzanna Ohlsen, who shot .872 (260 of 298).
 
To break the record, Bennett would need to go at least 7 for 7 over the course of the final two games. If she does that, it would leave her at .873 (131 of 150). If she were to go 6 for 6, she could tie the record.
 
The only one even close to those two is Aubree Callen. She shot .855 (272 of 318) from 2011-15.
 
MARCH TO A MILESTONE
IN THE MAKING
100^th assist: Madi Hingston (has 86)
200^th rebound: Hailee Bennett (has 198)
300^th point: Ashley Alter (has 297)
500^th assist: Abril Rexach Roure (has 486)
600^th rebound:  Ashlynn Burgess (has 594)
1,000^th point: Abril Rexach Roure (has 918)
 
MADE LAST WEEK
100^th rebound:  Kayla Brundidge (has 102)
200^th point:  Natalie Hoff (has 200)
 
AROUND THE WEST
Alaska Anchorage clinched at least a tie for the GNAC regular-season title and did secure the No. 1 seed for the GNAC Tournament with homecourt wins against Simon Fraser and Western Washington last week. The 83-76 victory against the Vikings evened the score for UAA (27-2, 17-1 GNAC) after its only conference loss of the season, 71-64 at Western on Jan. 23. Even if the Seawolves and Northwest Nazarene (20-6, 15-3) were to finish with identical records, Anchorage would get the top tourney seed since it swept the season series. WWU (18-8, 12-6) and Simon Fraser (17-11, 12-6) are tied for third, and play on Tuesday in Bellingham.
 
In the California Collegiate Athletic Association, it's coming right down to Saturday's regular-season finale between UC San Diego and Cal State San Marcos. The Tritons (22-4, 18-3) have won 14 straight. The Cougars (22-4, 17-4) have won eight straight. San Marcos is home for this week's game and won earlier in the season at UCSD, 69-63.
 
Hawaii Pacific will carry a 21-game winning streak into the final week of the Pacific West Conference season. The Sharks (25-1, 20-0) are at Chaminade on Tuesday and home against Hawaii Hilo on Saturday. Azusa Pacific (22-4, 16-4) is solidly in second, but will have homecourt advantage for the conference tournament, as it is the host school.
 
UP NEXT
The 2020-21 season will begin next November. Schedules, including preseason tournaments, are now being adjusted with the recent news that Concordia-Portland will be closing at the end of the current school year. Information will be released once those adjustments are finalized.
 

GNAC STANDINGS
                                                         GNAC             Overall
Alaska Anchorage           17-1       27-2
Northwest Nazarene         15-3       20-6
Western Washington         12-6       18-8
Simon Fraser               12-6       17-11
Central Washington         11-7       16-10
Saint Martin's              9-9       14-11
Montana State Billings      9-9       14-13
Seattle Pacific             6-12       8-18
Concordia-Portland          4-14       5-21
Alaska Fairbanks            2-16       7-20
Western Oregon              2-16       5-20