THE SCHEDULE
Thursday, Feb. 6                  Seattle Pacific at Western Oregon, 7:00 p.m.
                                                New P.E. Building / Monmouth, Ore.
                                                Live Webcast        Live stats
 
Saturday, Feb. 8                   Seattle Pacific at Saint Martin's, 3:00 p.m.
                                                Marcus Pavilion / Lacey, Wash.
                                                Live Webcast        Live stats
 
 
SEATTLE – Just three more women's basketball road trips left for the Seattle Pacific Falcons … and these next two will be relatively close.
 
SPU will make a pair of drives southbound in Interstate 5 this week. On Thursday, they'll head to Monmouth to take on Western Oregon. Tip-off in the New P.E. Building is at 7:00 p.m.
 
On Saturday, it's a short trek to Lacey for a match-up against Saint Martin's. That one is slated for a 3:00 p.m. start.
 
The Falcons (6-17, 0-10 GNAC) are still in search of their first Great Northwest Athletic Conference victory of the season. Last Saturday in Brougham Pavilion, they went back and forth against No. 20-ranked Montana State Billings before the Yellowjackets put together a 14-0 fourth-quarter scoring run on the way to a 77-67 victory.
 
FOLLOW IT LIVE
This week's games and all remaining GNAC contests will have free live Webcasts on YouTube and free live stats. The appropriate links are at the top of this page.
 




SO WHAT'S THE STORY THIS WEEK?
-- The Falcons are looking to snap an eight-game losing streak.
-- Seattle Pacific will be out to even the score against both opponents. Saint Martin's won 71-58 in Seattle on Jan. 9, and Western Oregon took a 78-67 decision on Jan. 11.
-- In the first SPU-WOU game, the Wolves had a pair of 19-point leads in the third quarter. The Falcons cut it all the way down to three at 59-56 with 7:02 left in the game before Western Oregon stretched it out again.
-- Hunter Beirne poured in 28 points for the Falcons that day on 10-of-19 shooting.
-- Western Oregon had three in double figures, led by Bella Pedrojetti's 22. Natalie Brown had a double-double of 10 points and 12 boards.
-- In the Saint Martin's game, the Falcons shot 50 percent from the floor during the second half (13 of 26), but weren't able to erase all of a 20-point deficit.
 

-- Seattle Pacific's starting lineup had a slightly new look last Saturday against Montana State Billings. Redshirt freshman guard / forward Grace Turley answered the opening whistle for the first time since Jan. 4 and the third time in her career. She joined regular starters Hunter Beirne, Layne Kearns, and Lolo Weatherspoon, along with junior center Emilia Bishop, who made her second straight start.
-- All five of those starters shot 50 percent or better: .833 for Bishop and Kearns (both 5 of 6), and 50 percent for Beirne (8 of 16), Weatherspoon (7 of 14) and Turley (2 of 4).
-- Bishop ranks No. 11 in GNAC field goal shooting (.469), and Beirne is No. 13 (.452).
 

-- Kearns is No. 4 on the conference free throw shooting list at .852 (46 of 54). She hit 20 in a row from Nov. 29 through Jan. 16.
-- The Falcons were a perfect 9 of 9 at the free throw line last Saturday vs. Montana State Billings, their first perfecto of the season. Their percentage for the year is now .717, matching their season high last achieved through games of Jan. 11.
-- Sophomore wing Grace Leasure needs just six more points for 200 in her career.

SCOUTING THE WESTERN OREGON WOLVES: 7-12, 3-8 GNAC (8th)
All-time series: SPU leads 49-7.  Current series streak: WOU won 1.  Last time: WOU 78, SPU 67 (Jan. 11, 2025 at Seattle). Last SPU series win: SPU 59, WOU 47 (Feb 10, 2024 at Monmouth).   Wolves on the Web.
Wolves in a nutshell: Since their victory at SPU on Jan. 11, Western Oregon has dropped five in a row, including last week's contests at Simon Fraser (83-68) and Western Washington (82-61). Senior 5-foot-10 guard Bella Pedrojetti continues to set the scoring pace, as her 15.5 per-game average is tied for No. 4 in the GNAC. She has had two games in the 30s (36 at Alaska Fairbanks), one of 28, and back-to-back 22s (the first of which was against the Falcons last month). Enid Valfanua adds 9.4 points and a team-leading 5.7 rebounds. She also leads the Wolves in steals (20) and her 58 assists rank No. 2 on the team  Natalie Brown, a junior 6-foot forward, leads both Western Oregon and the GNAC in rebounding at 8.3 per game (the only conference player above 8.0). She has four double-doubles.
 
SCOUTING THE SAINT MARTIN'S SAINTS: 12-7, 5-6 GNAC (6th)
All-time series: SPU leads, 60-24.  Current series streak: STM won 1.  Last time: STM 71, SPU 58 (Jan. 9, 2025 at Seattle). Last SPU series win: SPU 62, STM 55 (Feb. 8, 2024 at Lacey).   Saints on the Web.
Saints in a nutshell: Saint Martin's is staying in the thick of things for a spot in the GNAC Tournament. The Saints have gone 4-5 since the calendar turned to 2025, including an 86-74 victory on the road at Simon Fraser last Saturday. Junior 5-foot-9 point guard Kiana Rios and freshman 5-5 guard Jada Travis are nearly dead-even in the scoring column, ranking No. 8 and 9 in the GNAC: 273 points and a 14.4 average for Rios (she had 23 last month at SPU); 270 points and a 14.2 average for Travis. Ditto in rebounding: 113 and a 5.9 average for Rios; 111 and 5.8 per game for Travis (No. 12-13).. Sophomore 6-1 forward Avery Oaster averages 8.2 points per game and shoots .543 from the floor (No. 2 in the GNAC), hitting 50 of 92. Speaking of accuracy, Travis is a threat from deep. Her .396 percentage behind the arc (36 of 91) is No. 8 on the conference list.
 
MORE TO DO BEFORE SHE'S DONE
Hunter Beirne's college career is entering its final stages. But the fifth-year point guard is still within reach of at least a couple more milestones before she pulls off her Falcons jersey for the last time.
 

Beirne comes into this week needing just 11 more points to reach 800 for her career. With 313 so far, she already has more than in any of her previous four seasons. Her previous high was 246 last year. Her career total coming into the year was 476.
 
When Beirne isn't putting the ball into the basket herself, she's always looking for an open teammate. She's up to 80 assists, needing just 20 in the final eight regular-season games to reach 100 for the first time. Her previous high was 95, coming in 2022-23.
 
She's also just three made three throws away from 100, and 15 steals shy of 100.
 
IT'S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT BASKETBALL
While most of their focus is directed as their studies and of course basketball, all 13 of the Falcons have their own individual worlds that extend beyond the gym and the classroom. … Worlds that are equal parts interesting and intriguing.
 
For example, Layne Kearns has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. Grace Leasure has done a good amount of modeling. Madison Rubino wants to be on "Survivor." Phoenix Sharp has interests in baking, crafts, and theatrical make-up.
 
But wait: There's more.
 
Hunter Beirne – Wants to do full-time mission work.
Peyton Bergevin – Does demolition derbies at the county fair in Walla Walla.
Schuyler Berry – Loves learning different languages.
Emilia Bishop – Was named Broadcaster of the Year with the Wilson High School broadcast network in Oregon.
Julia Lavigne – Enjoys drawing.
Grace Mertes – Enjoys painting.
Haylie-Anne Ohta – Likes to go oama fishing back home in Hawaii.
Grace Turley – Wants to take a road trip across the United States.
Lolo Weatherspoon – Wants to live out in the country.
 
Coach Karen Byers – Golfs and does endurance races.
Assistant coach Ava Edmonds – Has her master's in marketing analytics.

COACH KAREN BYERS SAYS ...
(On last week's game vs. Billings)
"That was the best 35 minutes of basketball I think my team has played all year. We got sped up and lost the ball (in the final 5½ minutes), and that's basically how we lost. When we're in that space, we've got to not allow the game to speed up  so much – just take a breath and continue on.
 
(On Western Oregon)
"The key is defending their ball screens. We'll have to guard a bunch of them in a row, and at different angles."
 
(On Saint Martin's)
"We've got to make sure we locate their scorers and get out on them."

FALCONS REPLAY
The No. 20-ranked Montana State Billings Yellowjackets went on a 14-0 fourth-quarter scoring run, turning a 65-59 deficit into a 73-65 lead, and they went on to secure a 77-67 win last Saturday in Brougham Pavilion. Hunter Berine had 19 points, one of four players in double figures for the Falcons.

MARCH TO A MILESTONE
In the making
100th steal      Hunter Beirne has 85
200th point      Grace Leasure has 194
                 Haylie-Anne Ohta has 167
200th rebound    Lolo Weatherspoon has 171
400th rebound    Hunter Beirne has 361
800th point      Hunter Beirne has 789
 
Made last week
None
 
AROUND THE WEST
A pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference teams are on the verge of their 20th victories. Alaska Anchorage (19-3, 10-1 GNAC) and Montana State Billings (19-4, 8-2 GNAC) are on the brink of becoming 20-win teams. The Seawolves, who still have a 1 ½-game lead on the Yellowjackets, can get there this week at home when they host Alaska Fairbanks (6-13, 1-10) on Saturday. Billings will have a shot on Thursday at Saint Martin's (12-7, 5-6), or again on Saturday at Western Oregon (7-12, 3-8). The big clash will be Thursday when co-third place teams Central Washington (15-5, 8-3) and Western Washington (13-7, 8-3) meet in Ellensburg. Western then visits Northwest Nazarene (13-7, 7-4) on Saturday.
 
Cal State Dominguez Hills became the first West Region to reach 20 wins when it crushed Sonoma State by 26 points and Cal State San Marcos by 21 last week in California Collegiate Athletic Association play. The Toros (22-0, 14-0 CCAA) are two games ahead of second-place Cal Poly Pomona (17-3, 12-2). The Broncos saw their eight-game winning streak end with a 77-72 loss at home to third-place Chico State (15-5, 10-4). Their last real shot to close some ground on Dominguez Hills will be on Saturday afternoon when they visit the Toros in Carlson.
 
The Pacific West Conference is deadlocked up top between Azusa Pacific (18-3, 12-2) and Point Loma Nazarene (17-5, 12-2). Last Wednesday on its home court in San Diego, Point Loma hung on for a 66-64 victory against Azusa, ending a 10-game losing streak to the Cougars that dated back to 2021. Vanguard stayed right on the heels of the front two and hosts Azusa on Saturday, but first must tangle with fourth-place Westmont (14-6, 10-3) on Thursday.
 
UP NEXT
The Falcons are back home in Brougham Pavilion next week. They take on Northwest Nazarene on Thursday, Feb. 13, at 5:15 p.m. and Central Washington on Saturday the 15th at 4:15. Both days are doubleheaders, with the Seattle Pacific men facing NNU on Thursday at 7:30 and Central on Saturday at 2:00 p.m.
 
 
GNAC STANDINGS
                                                     GNAC              Overall
Alaska Anchorage         10-1        19-3
Montana State Billings    8-2        19-4
Central Washington        8-3        15-5
Western Washington        8-3        13-7
Northwest Nazarene        7-4        13-7
Saint Martin's            5-6        12-7
Simon Fraser              4-7        11-9
Western Oregon            3-8        7-12
Alaska Fairbanks          1-10       6-13
Seattle Pacific           0-10       6-17    
 

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