Lookin' to roll 7. Riding the crest of a six-game win streak, Seattle Pacific University ventures to Las Vegas this weekend and the High Desert Classic. The tournament begins Saturday (Dec. 15) with the 15th-ranked Falcons (2-0, 6-1) facing No. 8 and unbeaten Henderson State, Ar. (7-0). Saturday they play Ashland, Oh. (5-1) in the final game of the 14-team tourney of top NCAA Division II teams. Then it's home for Christmas and the next seven games, beginning with the Oak Harbor Freight Lines Holiday Classic Dec. 28-29.

Defense & December. Once again Seattle Pacific has hit its stride in December. It went to the top of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings after a pair of impressive road wins, stretching its December win streak to 18 games since 1998. Coach Ken Bone has emphasized defense since preseason drills began and in its last outing the squad allowed the fewest points­46­in the past 71 games. Six of the first seven opponents have been held under 44 percent shooting and have averaged only 63.9 points.

Cato: No sidekick. His last name is a sound-alike for the Green Hornet's driver and sidekick, but Maurice Cato (Jr., 6-0, Fairfield, Ca./Fairfield-Skyline JC) did not take a second billing last week, leading the team to victories in its first two road conference games in three seasons. Cato came up huge at Central Washington, scoring all 28 of his points after halftime, including seven in the decisive second overtime period. He connected on 4-7 3-pointers, 12-13 foul shots and his two free throws with 2 seconds remaining proved to be the difference in a 101-100 win. Cato followed that with 10 points, three steals and three assists in the 73-46 win at Saint Martin's to earn GNAC player of the week. He is now averaging 11.7 points and shooting 38 percent outside the arc.

Nick at nite. With six players averaging between 8-14 points, there's no real statistics hog for the Falcons. Rather, it's a different hero every night, and night in, night out, Nick Johnson's (Sr., 6-3, Burlington, Wa./Burlington-Edison) is at or near the top of the list. Johnson played a game-high 44 minutes at Central, scoring 19 points, and at Saint Martin's he nearly got his second career double-double, topping the team in scoring (11) and rebounds (9). His season-to-date numbers are solid: 13.1 points, 5.9 boards, 55 percent shooting from the field and 86 percent from the line.

Steady frontline. The backcourt may have been the difference last week but the starting front line more than held its own. At Ellensburg, the trio of forwards Yusef Aziz (Jr., 6-4, Seattle, Wa./Foster-Highline CC), Brannon Stone (Sr., 6-9, Oak Harbor, Wa.) and center Eric Sandrin (Sr., 6-10, Bothell, Wa./Shorecrest-Portland) outscored their highly-touted Central counterparts 39-38 and out-rebounded them 28-22. Stone and Sandrin posted their first double-doubles of the season, Sandrin finishing with 16 points and 12 rebounds while Stone had 10 and 10. Aziz, who owns the team's top average at 13.7, had 13 points. Both he and Stone fouled out.

Bench packing punch. Bone began the season somewhat concerned about his team's depth yet his reserves are beginning to become a positive factor. Forward Daniel Sandrin (Jr., 6-7, Bothell, Wa./Bothell-Portland) totaled 19 points in the two outings, hitting 7-11 shots from the floor. Sandrin's 55-percent shooting leads the team this season. Jordan Lee (Fr., 6-0, University Place, Wa./Life Christian), who's been backing-up Johnson at guard, popped for a season-high eight points at Saint Martin's. Since starting the season by going 1-10, Lee has hit 9-12 from the field, including 6-9 treys, in the last four games.

Put-backs. Stone could make his move on the career leader lists in Vegas. He needs 14 points to become No. 10 on SPU all-time list and he is 25 rebounds shy of climbing to No. 5. With 31 steals Stone will be the record-holder there. He broke the career blocks mark as a sophomore and now has 236 to date...Aaron Bellessa (Jr., 6-2, Federal Way, Wa./Decatur) stroked the first 3-pointer since his freshman season at Saint Martin's...Gene Woodard (Jr., 6-4, Edmonds, Wa./O'Dea) got his second start at Lacey and had six points and five boards in 20 minutes...Adam Harris (Jr., 6-0, Fox Island, Wa./Gig Harbor), sidelined by a lacerated thumb then a fractured left ankle, is questionable for a debut this week...SPU leads the GNAC in three telling categories (scoring defense, field-goal percentage defense and rebounding margin) and is second in three more (free throw accuracy, scoring margin and steals). Individually, the Falcons feature Cato at second in free throw percentage (.923), Aziz second in steals (2.3) and Stone second in assists (5.0), assists-to-turnover ratio and fourth in steals (2.0).

Opponent & series notes. This will be the first meeting with either Henderson State or Ashland. SPU and Henderson State are among five nationally-ranked teams in the High Desert Classic. Northeastern State (Ok.) is No. 2, Washburn (Ks.) is No. 4 and Western Washington is No. 13. This is the Falcons' fourth trip the tournament in the past five years...Henderson State, idle since Dec. 4, has won all of its games by at least 12 points. The Reddies feature senior forward Niki Arinze, a former Wake Forest recruit who averages 21.3 points, 12.1 rebounds, 2.9 blocks and shoots 61 percent...Ashland, like the Falcons, lost its only game by one point, at Northwood Dec. 8. Guard Isaac Kincaid is averaging 21.2 points for the Eagles.

SPU Coaches. In his 11 years as coach of his alma mater, Ken Bone has directed the Falcons to seven NCAA tournament berths, five conference titles and 11 consecutive winning records. His winning percentage of .712 is the best in school history, surpassing even the legendary Les Habegger. From 1995-2000 Bone's teams advanced to the regional championship game five times, including a record 27 wins and Final Four appearance in 2000. Jeff Hironaka is in his 11th year as associate head coach. Jarrett Mentink returns to the staff after a four-year absence this season. George Parker who first served as an assistant in 1986, returns for his 13th year on the staff. Former all-conference forward Reggie Paul joins the staff after five seasons of playing professionally in Europe and Asia.