THE SCHEDULE
Monday, Jan. 11                                  Pacific Lutheran at Seattle Pacific, 6:00 p.m.
                                                                Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
                                                                Live Webcast        Live stats
 
Friday, Jan. 15                                     Saint Martin's at Seattle Pacific, 6:00 p.m.
                                                                Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
                                                                Live Webcast        Live stats
 
Saturday, Jan. 16                                Seattle Pacific at Saint Martin's, 3:00 p.m.
                                                                Marcus Pavilion / Lacey, Wash.
                                                                Live Webcast TBA        Live stats TBA
 
 
SEATTLE – Didn't know if it would even happen. And if it did happen, didn't know what form it would take.
 
But after months of uncertainty because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Seattle Pacific Falcons get to tip off their women's basketball season.
 
SPU will play the first game of an abbreviated schedule on Monday, Jan. 11, when Pacific Lutheran comes to Brougham Pavilion. Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m. Then on Friday, Jan. 15, Saint Martin's visits for a 6:00 p.m. game.
 
Almost a full year has passed since the Falcons took the court for a game: Feb. 29 of last year against Central Washington in Brougham Pavilion to conclude the season. To be precise, that's a stretch of 317 days from the end of that game to Monday's tip-off.
 
FOLLOW IT LIVE
Because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, fans will not be allowed to attend any of this year's games, home or away. However, they can keep up with all the action online with free live Webcasts and free live stats. Andrew Harvey will call the action on Monday against PLU and Friday against Saint Martin's.
 
NO CONFERENCE CONTESTS
The Great Northwest Athletic Conference announced on Dec. 17 that it will not conduct a season this year.
 
Initially, four of the GNAC's 10 schools – Seattle Pacific, Alaska Fairbanks, Northwest Nazarene, and Saint Martin's – said they would go forward with plans for an abbreviated conference schedule. But Fairbanks pulled out on Dec. 11, and SPU followed suit a few days later.
 
However, all GNAC schools were allowed to make independent scheduling arrangements with other schools, both in and out of the conference. Seattle Pacific will play two home-and-home sets with Saint Martin's on Jan. 15 (in Seattle) and 16 (in Lacey), then Feb. 5 (in Lacey) and 6 (in Seattle).
 
The other GNAC school currently on the Falcons' docket is Northwest Nazarene in Seattle on Feb. 19-20. Other opponents might be added at a later date.
 
Along with Monday's game against Pacific Lutheran, other out-of-conference contests for the Falcons will be Jan. 22-23 at home against Lewis-Clark State College of Lewiston, Idaho, and Jan. 29-30 at home against College of Idaho from Caldwell. Northwest University of Kirkland comes to Brougham on Feb. 10.

With the regular season being canceled, the GNAC Tournament will not take place this season.





PLAYERS CAN KEEP THIS YEAR
Regardless of how many games eventually take place, the Falcons and all NCAA Division II  players will be able to retain this year of eligibility. That means all current freshmen, sophomores, and juniors will return at that same eligibility level in 2021-22, and all current seniors will be allowed to play in 2021-22 if they choose to do so and maintain certain academic requirements.
 
All 2020 fall sports athletes whose seasons were canceled, as well as 2020 spring sports athletes who likewise did not have a season, have been granted that same allowance by the NCAA.
 
SO WHAT'S THE STORY THIS WEEK?
-- Even with all of its oddities and unusual circumstances, this will be the 46^th season of Seattle Pacific women's basketball. The first official varsity season was 1975-76.
-- Mike Simonson begins his third season as SPU's head coach. He is just the seventh head coach in the history of a program that has had remarkable stability at the helm through the first 45 years.
-- SPU has built a 34-11 record in season openers.
-- The most recent season-opening victory was 69-49 against Humboldt State on Nov. 10, 2017, at the Fresno Pacific West Region Crossover Classic. In the two openers since then, the Falcon fell 80-69 to Fresno Pacific in 2018, and 70-54 to Humboldt State last season.
-- That November 2019 game against Humboldt was in the West Region Challenge on the Lumberjacks' court in Arcata, California – and it was quite a debut junior Ashlynn Burgess, who came to the Falcons after two seasons at Wenatchee Valley College. Burgess posted a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds in 26 minutes as a starter at forward.
-- Burgess went on to earn All-GNAC honorable mention recognition.
-- Last year's 8-20 overall record included a 5-9 mark in Brougham Pavilion.
-- All-time, the Falcons have a 94-45 record against the NCAA Division III Northwest Conference, of which Pacific Lutheran is a member.
-- Their last game against the Lutes was a 96-46 SPU romp on Dec. 19, 2011. Current lead assistant coach Katie Benson started for the Falcons that night, contributing 12 points, seven rebounds, and two blocked shots in 21 minutes.
-- Seattle Pacific came up short in both games against Saint Martin's last season, 63-62 in Seattle and 63-58 in Lacey.
-- The Saints have won three in a row against the Falcons. Seattle Pacific's last victory was 68-64 in Lacey on Jan. 1, 2019.
-- Last year's game against Saint Martin's in Brougham Pavilion on Jan. 21 had 15 lead changes and six ties. The Falcons had the ball for the final 46 seconds of the game, but one shot rattled around and off the rim, and a putback attempt was knocked away.
-- Burgess went for 25 points in that one, her second-highest SPU scoring game.
-- Bria Thames, now Saint Martin's assistant coach, racked up a monster double-double of 20 points and 15 rebounds for the Saints in that game, then had 12 points and six boards in the rematch in Lacey.
 
SCOUTING THE PACIFIC LUTHERAN LUTES: 11-14, 6-10 NWC (tie 7^th)
All-time series: SPU leads, 27-10. Current series streak: SPU won 9. Last time: SPU 96, PLU 46 (Dec. 19, 2011 at Seattle). Lutes on the Web.
Lutes in a nutshell: This will be the season-opening game for Pacific Lutheran – and coach b squad is loaded with experience. The Lutes return their top five scorers from last year, three of whom averaged in double figures: senior 5-foot-6 guard Emma Janousek (14.3 points per game), junior 5-10 guard Katie Taylor (13.2), and senior 6-0 center Madison Salisbury (12.2). Salisbury also led PLU on the boards with an average of 7.8 per game, and was one of the team's leading shooters from the field at 47 percent. When Janousek wasn't scoring baskets on her own, she was setting up her teammates with 109 assists. She also led the way with 67 steals. Taylor set the pace for the Lutes behind the 3-point arc with 44 makes and a .341 success rate.
 
SCOUTING THE SAINT MARTIN'S SAINTS: 14-13, 9-11 GNAC (tie 6th)
All-time series: SPU leads, 55-19. Current series streak: STM won 3. Last time: STM 63, SPU 58 (Feb. 18, 2020 at Lacey). Saints on the Web.
Saints in a nutshell: Although leading scorer and rebounder Bria Thames (15.2 points / 11.3 rebounds per game) graduated and is now on the bench as an assistant coach, the other two double-digit scorers are back for Saint Martin's. Junior 6-foot forward Claire Dingus averaged 12.1 points and 8.9 boards, and senior 5-6 guard Tierney DeDonatis averaged 10.8 points, along with team highs of 73 assists and 48 steals. Dingus was the 2019 GNAC Freshman of the Year and made last year's All-GNAC 2^nd team. DeDonatis scored 35 points in the two games against SPU last season, with 26 of those coming in Seattle. She and sophomore 5-9 guard Janealle Sutterlict are dangerous from downtown. Sutterlict led the Saints with 46 treys and shot .377 from long range. DeDonatis drained 44 and had a .379 percentage. The team's .303 mark behind the arc ranked No. 4 in the GNAC. Saint Martin's also was one of the tougher defensive teams, allowing just 64.7 points per game that was fourth-best in the conference.

 



SCOUTING THE 2021 FALCONS
Although so much has changed in the world since the final buzzer of the 2019-20 season sounded last February, the Falcons will have a certain sense of familiarity in the gym as the head into the abbreviated 2021 campaign. Of the 12 players on last year's roster, 10 are back for another year, and nine of those saw regular playing time.
 
Heading the list is 5-foot-10 senior forward Ashlynn Burgess. After starring two years at Wenatchee Valley College, Burgess immediately became an impact player for SPU, leading the team in scoring (11.3 points per game) and rebounding (5.9), along with shooting 54.8 percent from the field. She earned a spot on the All-GNAC honorable mention list at season's end.
 
 

Ashley Alter blossomed and became a regular starter. The 5-foot-11 junior, who can play guard or forward, answered the opening whistle in 19 of the 27 games she played, putting up averages of 8.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.1 steals.
 
 

Point guard Abril Rexach Roure played in all 28 games, starting 12, and was SPU's leading playmaker with 87 assists, an average of 3.1 per game. She also averaged 4.6 points and 2.4 rebounds.
 
 

Junior 5-9 guard Rachel Berg and sophomore 5-6 point guard Bayley Brennan played in all 28 games, with some spot starts. Berg became a steady presence in the backcourt, handing out 51 assists, averaging 2.8 points and 2.6 rebounds. Brennan shot a team-high .400 from 3-point range, draining 26 of 65, and averaged 4.6 points.

 

 

Natalie Hoff and Kayla Brundidge give the Falcons a big presence around the basket. Hoff, a 6-2 junior, averaged 5.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, and her .484 field goal percentage was second-best on the team behind Burgess. Brundidge, a 6-foot sophomore led SPU with 24 blocked shots, averaged 5.1 points, and was second on the team with 119 rebounds, an average of 4.8 per game.
 
 

Also returning is 5-10 senior guard Kaprice Boston. She was limited to just two games last season because of an injury, but averaged 5.3 points and 3.7 rebounds in 21 games as a sophomore.
 
 

Among the newcomers is 6-foot guard / forward Kelsey Hudson. A star at North Creek High School in nearby Bothell, she played all 28 games with 10 starts for Concordia-Portland last year, averaging 5.4 points and 3.6 rebounds. She joined the Falcons after Concordia closed its doors at the end of the 2019-20 school year. Hunter Beirne, a 5-7 guard, is ready for her first action as a freshman after redshirting last season.

 

The Falcons have five freshmen coming aboard. Included are a pair of all-state players in 5-6 point guard Hailey Marlow of West Valley-Spokane and 5-10 guard Malia Mastora of Saint Joseph Notre Dame in Alameda, California.
 
SIMONSON SAYS …
On navigating through the past few months 
"Our team has been great. We've been practicing for a really long time (since the fall). We were in pods for a long time and did some 2-on-2 and a lot of skill development. We started full team-type practice in October with masks. But we haven't played against anyone for a long time, so we're itching to get on the court and play against some other people. But I've been really impressed with our resiliency to practice as long as we have and still have our excitement level so high." 
 
On expectations for the season 
"This is a huge year for us to keep growing as a team, and keep growing in our system and the way we play. When we think about expectations, number one, we can start jelling and start to understand the concepts we have in our offense and defense, and make a lot of progress moving forward. For the games piece, as much as the season is kind of up in the air and so fluid, we're competing to win. We want to win games – that's what we do at SPU with such a high-achieving group. We're going to get on the court and expect to win every game that we can play this year." 
 
On this team's identity 
"First off, it's always defense first in our program. We're going to be a working, hard-nosed man-to-man defensive team – that's not going to change. Offensively, we're going to be unselfish, share the ball, get a lot of ball reversals, cutting and moving. Our number one core value is passion. If you're watching the stream online, I hope you're going to see a group of young women that is excited about the game of basketball, celebrate each other's plays, and plays hard, no matter what the score is. Up 20, down 20, we're going to play the exact same way passionately." 
 
AROUND THE WEST
The Pacific West Conference is planning to go forward with a basketball schedule beginning Sunday, Jan. 17. The 11 schools have grouped into three pods: Hawaii (Chaminade, Hawaii Hilo, Hawaii Pacific), Northern California (Academy of Art, Dominican, Fresno Pacific, Holy Names) and Southern California (Azusa Pacific, Biola, Concordia Irvine, and Point Loma Nazarene). Schools will play entirely within their pods.

 The California Collegiate Athletic Association announced on Dec. 3 that it will not have conference competition in any sports for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year.
 
UP NEXT
The Falcons will play back-to-back home games against Lewis-Clark State College on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 22-23. The Friday contest tips off at 6:00 p.m., and Saturday's will go at 2:00 p.m.