Perfect timing. Timing could not be more perfect for the Seattle Pacific University women's basketball team as it enters the NCAA Division II West Regional tournament this week playing its best basketball of the season. The 7th-ranked Falcons (22-5), winners of a season-best six straight games and fresh off victories in two-must win conference matchups, earned the fifth seed and play 22nd-ranked Cal State Bakersfield (22-5) Thursday (Mar. 7) in Pomona, Calif. The victor advances to Friday night's (Mar. 8) semifinal game against top-seeded, 2nd-ranked and defending NCAA champion Cal Poly Pomona (22-4). The regional championship game is Saturday night (Mar. 9) with the winner advancing to Elite Eight March 20-23 in Rochester, Minnesota.

Here we go again. It's called March Madness but for the Falcons it's really just more of the same. They've qualified for the playoffs six years in a row and seven of the last eight. This is the third year in a row that Pomona has hosted the regional. Unlike last year, when SPU was seeded No. 2 and earned a first-round bye, this time it must win three games in three nights to take the West. A year ago Seattle Pacific pushed Cal Poly Pomona to the brink before losing the regional title game on a last-second shot by the Broncos, 63-62. Four of the six teams in this year's West Regional were nationally-ranked last week. Rounding out the other half of the bracket are Montana State Billings (23-4) and Sonoma State (20-7), with the winner facing Great Northwest Athletic Conference champion and 11th-ranked Western Washington (23-4).

Streak signals peak. Historically speaking, Seattle Pacific has always performed well in the postseason when it arrives on a win string. When it advanced to the regional championship games in 1997, '98 and 2001, it was on the crest of midsize streaks. This time around the Falcons have won six in a row and are victorious in eight of their last nine, including a berth-clinching triumph over Central Washington, 65-53, last week. In the six victories, the Falcons have outscored their opponents by an average of 13.8 points per game and won the battle on the boards by 10.9 rebounds. SPU is also playing excellent defense, holding opponents to just 38 percent shooting. Only one foe has managed to shoot 50 percent from the field this season and 18 have been held under 40 percent. Perhaps the most scary statistic relating to Seattle Pacific is that none of Coach Gordy Presnell's players is a senior, meaning the best is yet to come.

Prime pickin's. Known more for their perimeter shooting during their last couple trips to the postseason, the Falcons have bulked-up and gotten stronger inside this season. Apparently the coaches around the GNAC noticed because they voted Presnell's two inside position players to the all-conference team. Center Kelley Berglund (Jr., 6-3, Port Angeles, Wa./Washington State) was the GNAC Newcomer of the Year and runner-up for player of the year after averaging 15.7 points while shooting 56 percent from the field. Kristin Poe (So., 5-8, Enumclaw, Wa.) would likely be the choice for comeback player of the year, if such an award were given. Poe battled back from reconstructive knee surgery to lead the team in rebounding (8.2) and steals (2.30) and match Berglund's eight double-doubles. She made the GNAC second team.

Late bloomers. While the Falcons have managed to string together several key victories of late, they have had a tendency to wait until late in the game to put away their opponents. In the last two must-win games versus Central and Western Oregon, SPU outscored opponents 111-85 in the second half and overtime. Against the Wildcats, Poe led the second-half surge with seven of her 12 points coming in the first eight minutes of the half to build a lead that would stand for the remainder of the contest.

On guard. The Falcons feature an experienced and solid backcourt. Point guard Kerie Hughes (Jr., 5-6, Mount Vernon, Wa./Mt. Vernon), hobbled by a knee injury during the 2001 playoffs, is in her third year as the starter at point guard. She's averaging a career-best 9.6 points and 5.0 assists. She leads the GNAC in free throw percentage (.870) and is second in both assists and 3-point accuracy (.442). At shooting guard, Stephanie Urrutia (Jr., 5-9, Sunnyside, Wa.) has been coming on strong down the stretch. Since January, Urrutia has averaged 13.2 points, shot well (49 percent overall, 13-27 3-pointers and 83 percent from the line) and committed just 13 turnovers against 29 assists. Trisha Hermanson (Fr., 5-6, Buckley, Wa./White River) has come off the bench for 65 assists and 22 treys.

Put-backs. SPU is 21-1 when leading after 30 minutes, 14-1 when committing fewer turnovers and 14-1 when shooting 45 percent or better from the field. It is 4-5 when Berglund accumulates four or more fouls...Valerie Gustafson (So., 6-0, Olympia, Wa./Black Hills), who became a starter in late February, has scored 24 points and hauled down 12 boards in her last two games...Emily Faurholt (Fr., 5-11, Kennewick, Wa.), a starter for 24 games, has been one of the top freshmen in the GNAC, averaging 11.2 points and shooting 47 percent...Poe's double-double vs. Central was her third staight...In the last three outings, Hughes has scored 49 points, grabbed 19 rebounds and made 25-30 free throws...Gustafson and Stacie Lukkes (Jr., 6-0, Kent, Wa./Kentwood) each made the academic all-GNAC team last week for the first time. Lukkes was back in action last week after missing six games with an ankle sprain...As a team, the Falcons rank first in the GNAC in scoring (80.5), margin of victory (16.8), free-throw percentage (.745) and rebounding margin (+9.3). The Falcons are second nationally in scoring margin, sixth in scoring and ninth in field-goal percentage and rebounding margin...Individually, Berglund is first in GNAC field-goal percentage, third in scoring, seventh in rebounding (7.8), eighth in free-throw percentage (.786) and ninth in blocked shots (0.67). Poe is fifth in rebounding and seventh in steals. Urrutia is sixth in assists (3.5) and ninth in blocked shots (0.67)...Presnell is 5-6 in NCAA tournament play and took SPU to the Elite Eight in 1998.

Opponents & series notes. The Falcons have never faced Cal State Bakersfield, which is in the second year of existence as a women's basketball program. The Roadrunners finished second to Cal Poly Pomona in the CCAA and feature the 1-2 scoring punch of Heather Gray (24.8), the nation's leading scorer, and Diane Dittburner (21.6), who is No. 6 in Div. II. Gray is also the CCAA's leading rebounder with 11.3 a game...SPU is 2-2 all-time against Cal Poly Pomona, including a 76-71 loss to the Broncos Dec. 28 at the GNAC/CCAA Challenge in Pomona. The Broncos overcame a nine-point halftime deficit in that contest while the Falcons committed 31 turnovers...SPU split the season series with Western Washington...The Falcons are 3-1 all-time against Sonoma State and trail Montana State Billings 14-8, including a first-round loss in 2000 at Pomona...The team hosting West Regional has advanced to the Elite Eight only six of the last 13 years.