Look out GNAC. Off to their most lopsided start in program history, the No. 8-ranked Seattle Pacific University women's basketball team begins its Great Northwest Athletic Conference schedule this week. The Falcons (5-0) go after their sixth straight win and fifth 100-point performance Thursday night (Dec. 6) at Saint Martin's (2-2). Following final exams, SPU travels east to Northwest Nazarene (4-1) Saturday (Dec. 8) for the next stage in a stretch of six consecutive road games, which resumes Dec. 17 versus Kentucky Wesleyan in Hawaii. GNAC play resumes Jan. 3.

Climbing higher. The Falcons moved up 12 places from No. 20 to No. 8 in the first ESPN/USA Today coaches rankings of NCAA Division II teams last week. The announcement marks SPU's highest national ranking since 1998 when the Falcons reached the No. 6 position. Defending national champion Cal Poly Pomona maintained its top spot; the Broncos host SPU Dec. 28. Western Washington also made the poll at No. 22.

Moving target. A national top-10 ranking combined with the fact that the Falcons are favored to repeat as conference champion makes them a prime target on opponents' schedules. They took eight of 10 first-place votes in the GNAC preseason poll to earn the nod over Western. Saint Martin's was picked eighth and Northwest Nazarene sixth. Seattle Pacific needs a strong start in conference play since five of the final seven GNAC games are on the road.

Seeing triple. If the Falcons were feeling the effects of a packed schedule that included four games in eight days, it must have been for the better. Led by a double-double from center Kelley Berglund (Jr., 6-3, Port Angeles, Wa./Port Angeles-Washington State), SPU surpassed the century mark for the fourth game in a row in beating Northwest College 102-51 to match its best start in four years. The Falcons have averaged 103.5 points while shooting 53 percent and out-scoring their opponents by 50.5 points in the last four games. Berglund, who transferred after starting in the Pac-10 as a sophomore, posted a double-double of 18 points and 14 rebounds against Northwest College, and also contributed four steals and two blocked shots in 22 minutes. She ranks No. 2 among conference scorers (17.6), eighth in shooting (.571) and also averages 7.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks. SPU is averaging 99.8 points per game as a team.

Team effort. Coach Gordy Presnell, now just 10 wins shy of 300 for his career, spread the playing time around against Northwest, with 11 of 12 players playing at least 10 minutes. Point guard Kerie Hughes (Jr., 5-6, Mount Vernon, Wa./Mt. Vernon) played 25 minutes and helped force 34 Eagle turnovers with a career-high matching six steals. Five players are averaging in double figures, including forward Emily Faurholt (Fr., 5-11, Kennewick, Wa./Kennewick), guard Stephanie Urrutia (Jr., 5-9, Sunnyside, Wa./Sunnyside) and forward Valerie Gustafson (So., 6-0, Olympia, Wa/Black Hills) all at 13.2.

High five. Led by a strong and consistent starting unit, the Falcons appear strong and balanced heading into a difficult conference schedule and a pair of tournaments this month. The starting frontline of Berglund, Faurholt and Kristin Poe (So., 5-8, Enumclaw, Wa./Enumclaw) is getting high-percentage shots under the basket, evidenced by a 60 percent combined shooting percentage, and winning the war on the glass by an average of 15.4 rebounds each night. The SPU backcourt is also living up to expectations, combining for 13.4 assists and an impressive 5.15 assist-to-turnover ratio. Their perimeter shooting is top notch in the early going as well with a combined 9 for 15 shooting from behind the three-point arc. The starting five is also playing staunch defense and has 59 steals to show for it.

Put-backs. The Falcons are 10-4 in conference openers under Presnell, including six straight wins...As a team, the Falcons rank first in the GNAC in scoring, margin of victory (+45.8), field-goal shooting (.522), rebounding margin (+15.8), three-point shooting (.414) and blocked shots (6.2)...Individually, Hughes is ranked first in assists (8.0), Faurholt is first three-point percentage (.750, 6-8) and sixth in field-goal shooting (.591). Urrutia is third in assists (5.4) and blocks (1.4) and fifth in three-point percentage (.500). Gustafson is second in field-goal shooting (.656) and fourth in blocks (1.0). Poe is fourth in field-goal shooting (.632) and steals (3.4).

Opponents & series notes. SPU has won five straight over Saint Martin's, including a pair of wins last season. The Falcons are 26-10 all-time over the Saints...SPU has never lost to Northwest Nazarene in six meetings, including a pair of victories last season. The Crusaders lead the GNAC in steals (19.2), led by Alysson Kollmann's 4.4 per game.

SPU Coaches. Coach Gordy Presnell began the 2001-02 campaign needing just 15 wins to reach the 300-victory milestone. Presnell has never registered a losing season in 14 years at the helm of the Seattle Pacific University basketball program. He took a team that had not recorded a winning record in nine seasons or earned a trip to the postseason and transformed it into a Division II powerhouse. During his tenure, the Falcons have averaged more than 20 wins per season and qualified for the playoffs nine times, including an Elite Eight appearance in 1998. Lynne DeYoung is in her fifth season as an assistant coach under Presnell after recording a handful of three-point shooting records for the Falcons. Brett Hecko enters his first as an assistant coach this season after spending six years as an assistant at Seattle's Blanchet High School.