First place at stake. Seattle Pacific University and the other two co-leaders in Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball will all be in Alaska this week, trying to take sole possession of first place. The Falcons (3-1, 11-2) go after their fourth win in a row Thursday night (Jan. 10) at Alaska Anchorage (0-4, 4-9) and then face Alaska Fairbanks (3-1, 9-4) in a playoff rematch Saturday night (Jan. 12). After that, SPU returns to Brougham Pavilion for four of its next five games, beginning Jan. 17 against Western Oregon.

Coming on strong. A cold snap awaits Seattle Pacific in Alaska but on the court it began to generate some heat last week with a win over Western Washington. The offense, moribund for the previous seven games, broke loose in the 87-74 victory. Last season, en route to claiming the conference crown, the Falcons got two big road victories at Anchorage and Fairbanks and they'd obviously like to repeat that feat. SPU has won 29 of its last 34 conference games, dating back to mid-February of 2000. Three weeks removed from their trip to Hawaii and Waikiki Beach, the Falcons will encounter snow flurries and high temperatures around 15 degrees later this week.

Due to improve. It's possible that Seattle Pacific might even rise from it's place in the last NCAA Division II from Dec. 17, when it was No. 8. Since then the Falcons have gone 5-1, with the sole setback by five points at No. 3 Cal Poly Pomona Dec. 28, and several other top-10 teams have lost at least once. Last week's regional poll placed SPU at No. 6 but the win over Western should be good for a bump there. The top six teams in the region receive playoff bids. New national and regional rankings are due out Jan. 8.

No brrrrrr for Berglund. It's no coincidence that SPU caught fire when one of its prized offseason recruits did likewise. Center Kelley Berglund (Jr., 6-3, Port Angeles, Wa./Pt. Angeles), the transfer from Washington State, exploded for 47 points in the wins over Seattle University and Western. That included a career-high 26 points against the 19th-ranked Vikings. Berglund earned GNAC player of the week after hitting on 10 of 16 shots and grabbing five offensive rebounds against Western. She made 10 of 15 shots and had seven rebounds and three steals in the 62-54 win over Seattle U. Berglund leads the team in scoring (15.2), rebounds (6.9) and field-goal percentage (.573) despite playing only an average of 20.2 minutes in the first 13 games.

Others on upswing. Berglund may not be the only player beginning the new year in rare form. Forward Kristin Poe (So., 5-8, Enumclaw, Wa./Enumclaw), after totaling just nine points in her previous two games, posted her first double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds versus Western. She also added five assists. Emily Faurholt (Fr., 5-11, Kennewick, Wa.), the other starting forward, had also slumped in scoring, with nine points in her last three games. But Faurholt had 10 points and eight boards against the Vikings. Giving the Falcons a boost off the bench was Valerie Gustafson (So., 6-0, Olympia, Wa./Black Hills), with 21 points and 8-15 shooting in two games last week. The strong inside play against Western helped SPU shoot 50 percent or above for the first time in nine games.

Put-backs. Point guard Kerie Hughes (Jr., 5-6, Mount Vernon, Wa./Mount Vernon) matched the pavilion record for free throws made and percentage against WWU, converting 13 of 14 for a .929 percentage. Hughes also had eight assists vs. Seattle U...Michelle Beaumont (Fr., 5-11, Bellingham, Wa./Sehome) scored 25 points in the two games at Pomona, hitting 10-16 from the field, including 3-6 3-pointers...Stacie Lukkes (Jr., 6-0, Kent, Wa./Kent-Meridian) grabbed 10 rebounds in the win over Cal State L.A. in Pomona...Coach Gordy Presnell is four wins shy of reaching the 300-victory milestone... As a team, the Falcons rank first in the GNAC in scoring (81.9), margin of victory (+22.1), field-goal shooting (.465), rebounding margin (10.2), and blocked shots (3.85)...Individually, Berglund is third in field-goal shooting (.574) fourth in scoring (15.2) and eighth in blocks (0.69). Hughes is second in assists (5.5), free-throw shooting (.897) and three-point percentage (.524). Stephanie Urrutia (Jr., 5-9, Sunnyside, Wa./Sunnyside) is sixth in assists (3.8) and fourth in blocked shots (0.92). Poe is fourth in steals (2.77). Gustafson is ninth in blocks (.67).

Opponents & series notes. The Falcons are 20-11 all-time against Alaska Anchorage. SPU dominated the Seawolves in both meetings last season, winning by 14 and 25 points, including a 62-37 rout in Anchorage. That point total was the lowest for any SPU opponent since 1991-92. UAA had swept the 1999-00 season series...SPU is 28-11 all-time against Alaska Fairbanks, including three victories last season. The Falcons swept the regular season series and won their regional tournament semifinal game with the Nanooks, 84-75. Seattle Pacific has won the last five meetings between the two teams.

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.