Long time, no see. For the better part of 15 years they represented the nearest conference rivals but when they arrive in town this week it will mark the first visit by the Alaskan members of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference to face Seattle Pacific University at Brougham Pavilion in four years. The 9th-ranked Falcons (5-0, 13-1) can tie their school record for consecutive wins against Alaska Fairbanks (0-5, 2-12) Thursday (Jan. 17). One-time arch-rival and resurgent Alaska Anchorage (4-1, 4-10) concludes the seven-game homestand Saturday night (Jan. 19). Seven of the following nine games will be on the road, beginning Jan. 24 at No. 10 and unbeaten Humboldt State.

Ever rising. Already off to its best start, Seattle Pacific got another stamp of authority with last week's victory over reigning conference and regional champion Western Washington, 96-89. That was sufficient to raise the NCAA Division II ranking one spot to No. 9 this week­the highest since a two-week stay at No. 4 in 1993-94. More importantly, it helps SPU keep pace with the top teams in the West for the home court advantage in the regional playoffs. Last week the Falcons stood third, behind Cal State San Bernardino, undefeated and ranked No. 2 nationally, and Humboldt. Hawaii Hilo, Cal State Bakersfield and BYU Hawaii rounded out the top six. Only six teams from the West will qualify for the postseason.

On a roll. Seattle Pacific's 13-game win streak is the longest since reeling off 14 in a row in 1965-66 and the 13-1 is now the best ever. The Falcons have not fallen since a 68-67 loss at home on opening night to Indianapolis. Two of those victories came against teams which have been nationally-ranked this season. Henderson State (Ar.) was No. 8 when SPU prevailed 68-63 in Las Vegas Dec. 15 and Western Washington had been ranked as high as No. 2 in the preseason polls. The loss snapped the Vikings' string of 15 straight conference wins.

Nick at night. It took patience, resilience and an entire team effort to come back from an early 15-point deficit against Western. But to finally nail-down the dubya it took some steely nerves and the steady, smooth shooting stroke of Nick Johnson (Sr., 6-3, Burlington, Wa./Burlington-Edison) at the foul line. Johnson scored 24 of his career-high 28 points in the second half, including 11 of 12 free throws in the final 46 seconds. Earlier, it was Johnson's arm-waving emotions which awoke the big crowd and helped propel the home past the Vikings late in the first half. Johnson also led SPU with six rebounds and 36 minutes of intense play. For the season, he leads in minutes (30.9), free throw accuracy (.884) and 3-point shooting (.424), and is second in scoring (13.1) and third in rebounding (5.2) and field goal percentage (.520).

Mo Cato. Matched against the best backcourt in the GNAC, the Falcons' Johnson and Maurice Cato (Jr., 6-0, Fairfield, Ca.) more than held their own. In fact, it was Cato who drilled two key treys and had eight points during the final 10 minutes of the first half, when SPU went on a 27-7 run. Cato did not commit a single turnover in 31 minutes, passed for five assists and, along with Johnson, helped hold the WWU starting guards to 27 points on combined 10-26 shooting.

What more can he do? The path from preseason All-America to postseason All-America has as much (or more) to do with the team's success as the individual's. Brannon Stone (Sr., 6-9, Oak Harbor, Wa.) is sacrificing the latter and concentrating on the former, which may explain both the team's success during the first half of the regular season and his own statistical line. Stone's scoring average has dropped over six points, to 9.4, in the first 14 games, but his assists (4.5) are up and SPU has won two more games than at the same point last season. Against Western, Stone was a factor on defense (three blocked shots and a steal which he turned into a layup) and offense (17 points, 8-9 free throws, three assists). This week he could climb higher still among career leaders. Stone needs 13 points to become No. 7 all-time and six rebounds to become No. 4. He is 18 steals away from becoming the all-time leader. Stone became the blocks leader midway through his sophomore season and has led the Falcons in assists and rebounds his first three years.

Put-backs. SPU has had fewer turnovers than its opponent in 13 of 14 games this season...Seattle Pacific leads the conference in scoring defense (65.4), offensive field-goal percentage (.482) and is second in shooting defense (.417), scoring margin (+15.7) and steals (9.3)...Yusef Aziz (Jr., 6-4, Seattle, Wa./Foster-Highline CC), who had 14 of his 17 points in the second half vs. WWU, leads the team in scoring (16.1) and is second among GNAC leaders in steals (2.07) and third in field goal percentage (.616). Stone is fourth in steals (1.9) and assists and seventh in blocks (1.3). Johnson is second in free throw percentage. Daniel Sandrin (Jr., 6-7, Bothell, Wa./Bothell-Portland), who sparked the team with nine points (4-5 FGs) vs. WWU, is sixth in field goal accuracy (.578)...Ken Bone is three wins shy of reaching 250 coaching victories in his career.

Opponent & series notes. SPU leads Alaska Fairbanks in the series 36-8, including a 27-1 mark at home. The Nanooks, who feature forward John Early (16.9 points, 8.4 rebounds), have lost four in a row and 13 straight in the pavilion, dating back to 1985...Alaska Anchorage struggled early, losing four times to D-I teams such as Indiana and Oregon State, but has won three of the last four. The Seawolves are led by forward Peter Bullock (17.9 points, 8.5 boards) and lead the series 24-12...SPU has won eight in a row at home and has won 26 of its last 28 home conference games.

Tickets, please. Reserved tickets for all SPU home games are priced $7 and $6. General admission is $5 with youth, students and senior citizens $3 with proper identification. Groups or teams can qualify for discounts by calling (206) 281-2085 in advance.

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.