THE SCHEDULE
Friday, March 5                                    Seattle Pacific at Western Washington, 5:00 p.m.
                                                                Carver Gymnasium / Bellingham, Wash.
                                                                Live Webcast        Live stats
 
Saturday, March 6                               Western Washington at Seattle Pacific, 5:00 p.m.
                                                                Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
                                                                Live Webcast        Live stats
 

SEATTLE – The final buzzer is about to sound on the Seattle Pacific women's basketball season.
 
The Falcons will wrap up their abbreviated 2021 schedule this week with a home-and-home set against arch-rival Western Washington.
 
SPU will visit the Vikings in Bellingham on Friday, tipping off at 5:00 p.m. in Carver Gymnasium. The return game will be Saturday at 5:00 p.m. in Brougham Pavilion.
 
The Falcons (7-5) have not played since Feb.. 20 when they concluded a two-game set against Northwest Nazarene. Last week's home-and-home games against Central Washington were canceled because of health and safety protocols.
 
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. The appropriate links are at the top of this story.
 




FALCONS WILL HONOR BURGESS ON SENIOR DAY
Ashlynn Burgess, who joined SPU last year after completed a stellar two years at Wenatchee Valley College, will be honored on Senior Day prior to Saturday's tip-off against Western Washington.
 
 

Burgess, a 5-foot-10 forward from Eagle River, Alaska, made an immediate impact with the Falcons. In her debut game at Humboldt State on Nov. 8, 2019, she recorded a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds.
 
By season's end, she led the team in scoring (11.3 points per game), rebounding (5.9) and field goal shooting (.548). She an All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference honorable mention pick.
 
For her career, Burgess is approaching 1,500 points and has surpassed 600 rebounds. She has a .529 shooting mark from the field and .790 at the free throw line.
 
In the classroom, Burgess is an electrical engineering major who earlier this week was one of four Falcons named to the GNAC All-Academic team.
 
The Falcons have three seniors on the roster. However, Abril Rexach Roure and Kaprice Boston are planning to return and play next season. Because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the NCAA is allowing all of this winter's student-athletes in all sports to retain their current year of eligibility. For those who are now seniors, that means they can play next season if they choose to do so and maintain certain academic requirements.
 
SO WHAT'S THE STORY THIS WEEK?
-- The Falcons come into the week having won three of their last four games.
-- With a 7-5 ledger to start the week, SPU can clinch a winning record for the season by taking at least one of the two games against Western Washington.
-- The last time the Falcons finished above .500 was 23-8 during the 2017-18 season.
-- This will be the sixth back-to-back series for Seattle Pacific. In the first five, the Falcons are 1-4 in first games and 4-1 in second games.
-- The Falcons have three players among the GNAC's top 10 scorers. Junior forward Ashley Alter is No. 5 at 13.3 points per game, junior guard Rachel Berg is No. 8 at 11.1, and junior forward Natalie Hoff is No. 10 at 9.8.
-- Alter is 35 points away from her career 500th.
-- SPU also has a pair of top-10 rebounders within the conference: Natalie Hoff a6 6.3 to tie for No. 6, and senior guard Kaprice Boston at 6.0 for No. 10.
-- Abril Rexach Roure is just six points away from the 1,000^th of her career. She had 793 during two seasons at Eastern Wyoming College, 130 last year with SPU, and 71 so far this season.
-- Led by Rexach Roure, Seattle Pacific is averaging 14.3 assists per game. In the two games combined against Northwest Nazarene on Feb. 19-20, the Falcons made 42 baskets, and 32 of them were assisted – a remarkable 76.2 percent. That included 17 of 23 (73.9 percent) in the first game, and 15 of 19 (78.9 percent) in the second game.
-- SPU has four double-doubles so far this season: two for Natalie Hoff, one for Kaprice Boston, and one for sophomore post player Kayla Brundidge.
-- Boston needs just four more rebounds for her 200^th.
-- Seattle Pacific has had double-digit makes from downtown in four of its 12 games, most recently 10 on 24 shots on Feb. 19 against Northwest Nazarene,
-- After picking up his first career victory against Northwest Nazarene two weeks ago, Falcons head coach Mike Simonson is seeking his second against Western Washington. The first one was Jan. 17, 2019 in Brougham Pavilion as the Falcons wiped out a 29-11 second-quarter deficit and pulled out a 61-59 win.
 
SCOUTING THE WESTERN WASHINGTON VIKINGS: 2-0, no GNAC record
All-time series: WWU leads, 61-32. Current series streak: WWU won 3. Last time: CWU 81, SPU 65 (Feb. 29, 2020 at Seattle). Last SPU series win: SPU 61, WWU 59 (Jan. 17, 2019 at Seattle). Vikings on the Web. Vikings in a nutshell: Western opened its abbreviated schedule last week, sweeping a home-and-home series against Saint Martin's (58-54 in Lacey, 83-74 in Bellingham). Junior 5-foot-10 guard Mollie Olson had a big weekend, with a combined 31 points and 10 rebounds. Senior 6-1 post player Kelsey Rogers logged a double-double in the second game with 17 points and 10 boards. During the 2018-19 season, Rogers averaged 10.5 points on 48.5 percent shooting from the field and pulled 3.6 rebounds per game. Dani Iwami, a 5-8 redshirt senior guard, is a solid passer and can be deadly from downtown. Before an injury sidelined her for the second half of last season, she was averaging 3.8 assists and shooting .352 (19 of 54) from behind the 3-point arc. Also back for WWU is 6-foot senior guard Emma Duff. She led the team in rebounds last season at 6.8 per game, along with averaging 11.1 points.
 
SIMONSON SAYS …
(On using the time from last week's canceled games)
"We've been a little banged up, so having some time off has been good for us. We reset our minds and our bodies. We did have practice over the weekend, and it was a great practice – a lot of energy, a lot of enthusiasm as we do into these big games this weekend."
 
 

(On Western Washington)
"We've always has some really good battles against them. They played very well against Saint Martin's last weekend. They did not look like a team that played its first game; they looked in midseason form, so kudos to them. We have to make sure we take care of the ball and we have to rebound well. We know they're going to score on the inside; they've always attacked through their posts. So we have to make sure we have the ability to stop their inside post game. We have to be ready for that."
 
(On senior Ashlynn Burgess)
"She has been a joy to coach. Coming in from Day One from Wenatchee Valley and being our captain right off the bat, that shows you her character. She's a great player, but also a great teammate. Last  year, she was our best offensive player. This year, her role has changed and morphed a little bit. She has been open-hands and open-arms with it. That hasn't been easy. I think a lot of players would go through a lot of growing pains when their role differs from season to season. But she has always been someone who puts the team first. She is very instrumental in laying the foundation of our culture for the future. That's why she's such an amazing person."
 
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
-- SPU heads into the final week of the season ranked No. 10 among NCAA Division II schools in rebounding margin at plus-9.0 per game. Saint Leo of Florida is No. 1 at plus-13.0. 
-- The Falcons are No. 25 in scoring defense, allowing just 58.2 points per game. Lubbock Christian of Texas is No. 1 at 44.7.
-- SPU is No. 25 in 3-point shooting accuracy at .358. (123 of 184).
-- Individually, Rachel Berg is No. 19 in 3-point shooting at .450 (27 of 60) and Abril Rexach Roure is No. 20 in assists per game at 5.3.
 
Among the 300-plus D2 schools, 219 are currently playing. Click on this link for a complete look at how the Falcons rank in national statistical categories.
 
ON THE HONOR ROLL
-- Ashley Alter was named the GNAC Player of the Week on Jan. 18 after putting 57 points on the board – including a career-high 25 against Saint Martin's – in SPU's first three games of the season.
-- Rachel Berg won the GNAC Player of the Week award on Jan. 25. She totaled 27 points in two games combined against Lewis-Clark State, and shot 10 of 17 from the field, with 6-of-8 accuracy from 3-point range.
 
AROUND THE WEST
While Western Washington won its season-opening two-game series against Saint Martin's last weekend, Montana State Billings has the leading record among GNAC schools that have been playing for several weeks. The Yellowjackets are 4-2, with Seattle Pacific next at 7-5. Northwest Nazarene, which started the season 1-3, is now level at 6-6.
 
In the Pacific West Conference, Hawaii Pacific remains perfect at 12-0 (13-0 overall), and has clinched first place in the three-team Hawaii Pod. Fresno Pacific (7-1, 7-5 overall) is way ahead in the Northern California Pod, while Azusa Pacific (8-4, 10-4 overall) has second the top spot in the Southern California Pod.
 
Colorado School of Mines has taken over first place from Western Colorado in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, which has been moved into the West Region for this season only. Mines is 14-3 in RMAC play, 15-3 overall; Western Colorado is 12-4, 13-4 overall. The RMAC has been moved to the West Region for this season only.
 
UP NEXT
This is the final weekend of the season for the Falcons.