THE SCHEDULE:             
                                     Thursday, Feb. 6: Western Washington at Seattle Pacific, 5:15 p.m.
                                           Brougham Pavilion (2,650) / Seattle, Wash.
                                           Live Webcast        Live stats
 
                                Saturday, Feb. 8: Simon Fraser at Seattle Pacific, 2:00 p.m.
                                           Brougham Pavilion (2,650) / Seattle, Wash.
                                           Live Webcast        Live stats
 
 
        Weekly release, with complete updated stats (PDF)
 
SEATTLE – One step at a time, one game at a time. That's how the Seattle Pacific Falcons have climbed back into the postseason hunt.
 
Staying in that hunt continues this week – and the next two steps are on their home court.
 
Coming off a split of their Alaska trip, the Falcons are back in Brougham Pavilion for visits from Western Washington and Simon Fraser. The Vikings come to town on Thursday at 5:15 p.m., followed by the Clan on Homecoming Saturday at 2:00 p.m.
 
Both games will be doubleheader openers. The SPU men face Western Oregon on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and Concordia-Portland on Saturday at 4:15.
 
The Falcons (7-13, 5-7 GNAC) begin the week in a tie with Montana State Billings for sixth place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings. The regular season has eight games remaining, and the top six at the end of the season qualify for the conference tournament, which is set for Brougham's Iron Coaching Court.
 
The Falcons will be out to even the score against both of this week's guests. On last month's trip north, WWU won, 73-60, as did Simon, 71-54.
 
FOLLOW IT LIVE
Both of this week's games, as well as all GNAC contests, will have free live Webcasts and free live stats. Maxwell Gun calls the action on Thursday, then Mark Aucutt takes the mic 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.
 
BASKETBALL IS JUST PART OF A BUSY CALENDAR
Most of the time, a pair of basketball doubleheaders would be ample reason to come on over to Brougham Pavilion. But a flurry of other activities also are on the docket.
 
Thursday will have a celebration of National Girls & Women in Sports Day. A fair in the lobby will have representatives from numerous businesses and organizations. Scrunchies will be given away to the first 200 girls, and a raffle will take place for tickets to Vertical World and Woodland Park Zoo. Several local women, including SPU running and coaching legend Doris Heritage, will be honored at halftime.
 
Saturday's games will be part of the annual Homecoming and Family Weekend celebration. Basketball won't be the only athletic event that day. A rowing race between Falcon alumni and novices is set for 9:30 a.m. on the Ship Canal. adjacent to Brougham Pavilion.
 




SO WHAT'S THE STORY THIS WEEK?
--The Falcons are 5-4 on their home court.
-- Since dropping their games at Simon Fraser and Western Washington the second week of January, SPU has won four of its last six: 2-and-1 at home, 2-and-1 on the road.
-- One rough quarter – the second – made the difference in both Burnaby and Bellingham. At Simon Fraser, the Clan had a 23-14 scoring advantage during the second 10 minutes on Jan. 9 and went on to win by 17. At Western Washington, the Vikings went on a 29-9 run in the second and wound up with a 73-60 victory. Through the first, third and fourth quarters, the Falcons outscored WWU, 51-44.
 

-- Senior Madi Hingston led a group of three SPU players with double-figure scoring in both games. She had 14 at Simon Fraser and 15 at Western. The Clan had just two in double figures, but the Vikings had five, led by Emma Duff's 18.
-- Last year's game against Western in Brougham Pavilion saw a remarkable Seattle Pacific comeback. Down 29-11 early in the second quarter, the Falcons rallied to win, 61-59. Carly Rataushk, now a volunteer assistant coach, hit the game-winning jumper with 6.7 seconds left.
-- Since allowing 73 points at WWU, Seattle Pacific has kept six straight opponents below 70 points, including a season-low 41 against Alaska Fairbanks last Thursday. That has helped the Falcons drop their average from 71.1 points allowed (No. 10 among the 11 GNAC teams) to 66.3 (No. 6).
-- During that same six-game stretch, no team has managed to shoot even 40 percent against SPU. The top mark was .385 (25 of 65) by Montana State Billings on Jan. 23. The low was UAF's .246 (15 of 61) last Thursday. Even Alaska Anchorage, which shoots .431, was kept nearly 100 percentage points below that by SPU on Saturday (.333 on 22 of 66).
-- The last teams to hit in the .400s vs. the Falcons were this week's two opponents: Simon Fraser at .429 (27 of 63) and Western Washington at .424 (28 of 66). 
-- When it does keep a team below .400, SPU is 7-4.
-- Seattle Pacific remains the GNAC's best team at the free throw line, but it's a bit closer now. The Falcons are at .762 (198 of 260) after going 20 of 27 (.741) last week. Central Washington is next at .755 (237 of 314) after shooting 25 of 30 (.833) in its two games.
-- Senior guard Hailee Bennett is still on top at .915 (54 of 59). She is the only .900 shooter in the GNAC and one of just 12 in all of NCAA Division II with that stratospheric percentage. She ranks No. 7 on this week's national list. The top spot still belongs to Morgan Brunner of West Liberty (W.V.) at .971 (67 of 69).
-- Ashlynn Burgess is No. 3 in GNAC field goal shooting at .559 (95 of 170).
-- With her 15 points at Fairbanks and 12 at Anchorage, sophomore guard Ashley Alter led the Falcon scorers in back-to-back games for the first time in her career.
-- Coach Mike Simonson is 1-2 vs. Western Washington and 0-3 vs. Simon Fraser.
 
SCOUTING REPORT
WESTERN WASHINGTON VIKINGS: 15-5, 9-3 GNAC (tie 3^rd)
All-time series: WWU leads, 60-32. Current series streak: WWU won 2. Last time; WWU 73, SPU 60 (Jan. 11, 2020 at Bellingham). Vikings on the Web.
Vikings in a nutshell: Western Washington is the hottest team in the GNAC, having won five in a row. That includes a homecourt sweep of Concordia-Portland and Western Oregon last week, and a wire-to-wire 71-64 home victory against Alaska Anchorage on Jan. 23. Junior 6-foot guard Emma Duff, who went off for 18 against the Falcons in Bellingham last month, has led Vikings scorers in three of the six games since then, and senior 6-3 center Anna Schwecke has set the pace in the other three. Schwecke is averaging 13.0 points, along with a team-high 6.6 rebounds per game, and Duff is close behind at 11.3 points and 6.2 boards. Schwecke is the conference's deadliest shooter at .599. Duff is a solid shooter herself at .491 (tied for No. 11 in the GNAC). Junior 6-1 forward Kelsey Rogers chips in 9.8 points and 3.8 rebounds. Sophomore 5-10 guard Mollie Olson keeps the ball moving with an average of 4.6 assists per game. By slight margins, Western is the top rebounding team in the conference in that it collects the most (39.8 per game) and allows the fewest (31.3).
 
SIMON FRASER CLAN: 14-8, 9-3 GNAC (tie 3^rd)
All-time series: Simon leads, 24-13. Current series streak: Simon won 3. Last time: Simon 71, SPU 54 (Jan. 9, 2020 at Burnaby). Clan on the Web.
Clan in a nutshell: Simon Fraser took down both Oregon schools last week and now has won four of its last five games. Junior 5-foot-9 guard Jessica Jones is coming off back-to-back outings in the 20s, pumping in 25 points against Western Oregon and 21 against Concordia-Portland. Her 17.4 average ranks No. 2 in the GNAC, although she had just 10 points on 4-of-11 shooting against SPU last month in Canada. Senior 5-7 point guard Tayler Drynan averages 11.3 per game, and junior 5-11 forward Ozioma Nwabuko scores at a 10.0 clip and leads the way in rebounding at 6.8, which is No. 6 in the GNAC. Nwabuko has nearly as many off the offensive glass (72) as she does at the defensive end (78). Drynan is a solid all-around player. She leads the Clan in assists with 93 (4.2 per game, No. 4 in the conference) and is tied for the team lead in steals with 34. She had a team-high 16 points, along with four rebounds, two assists, and two steals in January's Simon-SPU game.
 
SIMONSON SAYS …
(On facing WWU and Simon again)
"It's kind of a recurring them when we talk about being consistent for 40 minutes. At both Simon and Western Washington, we probably had five- or six-minute stretches that kind of decided the outcome of the game where we did not play to our potential and let the game get away from us. To protect our homecourt, we have to manage runs well."

 

(On SPU's play since those games)
"Pretty much from halftime of our game at Western until now, we've seen a big difference in the way we've been playing. Western Washington had a great second quarter against us, then we kind of woke up after halftime and played some pretty good ball in the second half. That's when we went on a decent run. Aside from the Alaska Anchorage game (last Saturday), we've played some pretty good basketball consistently since then."
 
(On Western Washington)
"Western is very balanced. They definitely want to attack you inside and outside. So I believe we have to be physical in the post and contest the kickout shots to their shooters. We have to protect the rim to start, then be able to contest those 3s.
 
(On Simon Fraser)
"Simon is a little different. They shoot a lot of 3s, so we have to be able to defend outside then inside. It's kind of an interesting weekend in that both teams are very good, but are contrasting in some areas of the game."

EATING SMART
Like top-caliber athletes everywhere, the Falcons keep an eye on what they eat.
 
Some of their favorite healthy foods:
Hailee Bennett: Vegetables with dill dip.
Madi Hingston: Smoothies.
Ashley Alter, Bayley Brennan, and Natalie Hoff: Avocados.
Hunter Beirne and Kaprice Boston: Salad.
Abril Rexach Roure: Tomatoes.
Kayla Brundidge: Carrots and broccoli.
Grace Sterk: Asparagus.
Ashlynn Burgess: Acai bowls and vegan fried banana burritos.
 
HOFF'S BIG BOOST OFF THE BENCH
With the Falcons having won four of their last six, they have gotten some significant help from their reserves, often at very timely moments.
 
 

Count Natalie Hoff in as part of that.
 
The 6-foot sophomore forward from Beaverton, Oregon, has played exactly 100 minutes through those six games. Along with 30 points on 12-of-22 shooting from the field, Hoff has had four solid rebounding nights. She pulled down five against Concordia-Portland, six against Saint Martin's, seven at Alaska Fairbanks, and five at Alaska Anchorage.
 
Altogether, Hoff has had 27 rebounds through the six games, along with seven assists.
 
Her 30 points included a season-high 11 at Anchorage – Hoff's first double-digit game of the season and tying her career high.
 
MARCH TO A MILESTONE
IN THE MAKING
100^th assist: Madi Hingston (has 73)
100 field goal:  Ashley Alter (has 98)
100^th point:  Grace Sterk (has 92)
100^th rebound:  Kayla Brundidge (has 87)
200^th rebound: Hailee Bennett (has 185)
300^th rebound:  Abril Rexach Roure (has 297)
500^th assist: Abril Rexach Roure (has 465)
600^th rebound:  Ashlynn Burgess (has 583)
1,000^th point: Abril Rexach Roure (has 904)
 
MADE LAST WEEK
100^th rebound: Ashley Alter (has 100)
300^th point:  Madi Hingston (has 305)
500^th point:  Hailee Bennett (has 508)
 
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
Among the 304 NCAA Division II programs, Seattle Pacific ranks:
-- 27^th in defensive rebounds per game at 29.7 (Anderson (S.C.) 1^st at 33.2).
-- 32^nd in free throw shooting at .762 (Southeastern Oklahoma 1^st at .817).
 
Individually:
-- Hailee Bennett 7^th in free throw shooting at .915 / 54 of 59 (Morgan Brunner (West Liberty) 1^st at .971 / 67 of 69).
-- Ashlynn Burgess 36^th in field goal shooting at .559 / 95 of 170 (Riley Fitzwater (Concord-WV) 1^st at .690 (136 of 197).
 
AROUND THE WEST
This week could go a long way toward determining who wins the regular-season title in the GNAC. Current leader Alaska Anchorage (21-2, 11-1 GNAC) visits second-place Northwest Nazarene (15-5, 10-2) on Thursday. When the teams met in Anchorage on Jan. 11, the host Seawolves were down 18-9 late in the first quarter, then outscored the Nighthawks by a 64-40 margin the rest of the way to win, 73-58.
 
UC San Diego, riding a nine-game win streak, still has a one-game lead on Cal State San Marcos in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. The Tritons (17-4, 13-3 CCAA) rolled past Stanislaus State and Humboldt State last week. Cal State San Marcos (17-4, 12-4 GNAC) stayed right on UCSD's heels. Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State East Bay are right behind them with identical 14-7, 10-5 records.
 
Hawaii Pacific keeps rolling in the Pacific West Conference. The Sharks (20-1, 15-0 Pac West) are now up to 16 straight wins and have a four-game lead on Azusa Pacific (16-3, 10-3). Those two teams will clash on Sunday in Azusa in their only meeting of the year. Third-place Concordia Irvine, which HPU beat 89-80 last Monday in Honolulu, awaits a rematch against the Sharks next Wednesday in Irvine.
 
UP NEXT
SPU will go for a sweep of the Oregon schools when it heads out for the next-to-last road trip of the season. The Falcons will visit Western Oregon in Monmouth on Thursday, Feb. 13, at 5:15 p.m. A visit to Concordia-Portland is on the calendar for Saturday, Feb. 15, with a later-than-usual 8:30 p.m. tip-off time. When the teams met in Brougham Pavilion in mid-January, Seattle Pacific won both, 63-44 against Concordia and 73-51 against WOU.
 
 
GNAC STANDINGS
                                                     GNAC               Overall
Alaska Anchorage         11-1        21-2
Northwest Nazarene       10-2        15-5
Western Washington        9-3        15-5
Simon Fraser              9-3        14-8
Central Washington        7-5        12-8
Montana State Billings    5-7        10-11
Seattle Pacific           5-7         7-13
Saint Martin's            4-8         9-10
Alaska Fairbanks          2-10        7-14
Western Oregon            2-10        5-14
Concordia-Portland        2-10        3-17