The real thing. With the early-season slate of non-conference opponents in the books, the Seattle Pacific University women's basketball team commences Great Northwest Athletic Conference play this week. The unbeaten Falcons (5-0), ranked 15th in the NCAA Division II preseason poll, play their next five games on the road and do not return to Brougham Pavilion until Jan. 4. Humboldt State (2-2) hosts the conference favorites Thursday (Dec. 5) and SPU visits Western Oregon (1-2) Saturday (Dec. 7). Following a two-week break for final exams, play resumes Dec. 20 at Lewis-Clark State.

Open season. It will be open season on the Falcons this week as opponents view their visit as an opportunity to not only knock off the conference favorite but a national power as well. Apart from the opening-night victory over No. 18 North Dakota State, SPU has steamrolled the opposition, winning the past four games by an average of 41.5 points. Humboldt State, meanwhile, is showing signs that it could be the surprise team in the GNAC. The Lumberjacks upset UC Davis and have been involved in three close games thus far. Seattle Pacific was a slight favorite over Western Washington in the conference preseason poll while the Lumberjacks were eighth and Western Oregon was 10th.

Ruling the roost. The Falcons continued their dominance on a couple fronts last week. They scored 90-plus points for the second and third games in a row in wins over Northwest College (110-50) and Westmont (95-56) and, in their last outing, they extended their home court win streak to 22 games by beating Pacific Lutheran, 73-55. Both Seattle Pacific and Western Washington finished the Falcon Classic at 2-0 while Westmont and PLU returned home winless. Kelley Berglund (Sr., 6-3, Port Angeles, Wa./Washington State) and Valerie Gustafson (Jr., 6-0, Olympia, Wa./Black Hills) each landed spots on the all-tournament team along with Kristin Poe (Jr., 5-8, Enumclaw, Wa.), who was named tournament's most valuable player.

Poe-etic justice. If there was a category for floor burns, Poe would probably lead the conference following her all-out play at the Falcon Classic. While her statistics were not overwhelming (9.0 points, 6.5 rebounds), her intensity, effort and overall impact were astounding. Poe handed out 13 assists, made a team-high 10 steals and added countless hustle plays that saved possessions and swung momentum for her team. The gung-ho Poe continues to be an inspiration to her teammates with an insatiable work ethic and effective lead-by-example approach. Although her shot has been amiss early in the season, she's found other means by which to contribute. Poe is the team's top thief (2.8 steals) and No. 2 in rebounding (5.0).

Highly productive. As for statistical productivity, it's difficult to beat Berglund. The all-region center was again a dominant force, albeit in small doses due to limited playing time. In 52 minutes of court time, Berglund scored 51 points, hauled down 30 rebounds and shot 63 percent. She has played more than 20 minutes only twice in the first five games and she posted double-doubles in each, including 24 points and 11 rebounds in the PLU contest. Berglund is the team's top scorer (17.4) and rebounder (8.6) despite playing just 18.8 minutes.

Some fine frosh. The first two weeks of the season have given Coach Gordy Presnell an opportunity to not only rest his proven players but also devote more time to the development of his younger ones. Three of his freshmen saw considerable duty during the past week. Backup point guard Mandy Wood (Fr., 5-6, Port Angeles, Wa./Port Angeles) played 20-plus minutes in all three games, averaging 10.0 points, 3.0 assists and 3.0 steals. Wood is shooting nearly 70 percent from the floor, including 9-for-11 from beyond the three-point arc. Spelling Gustafson and Berglund off the bench, Carli Smith (Fr., 5-11, Spokane, Wa./Valley Christian) is proving to be an invaluable resource in the paint where she reeled in 14 rebounds, made seven steals and averaged 8.3 points. Presnell is trying to ease Brittney Kroon (Fr., 6-4, Wasilla, Ak.) into the regular rotation as she continues her recovery from a liver transplant last April. Kroon, whose story was chronicled in a Seattle Times column Dec. 1, is just the second player to compete at the collegiate level after such an operation. Although periodically fatigued, her general strength and stamina continue to grow. Last week Kroon seemed to be hitting her stride, recording five blocked shots and 12 rebounds in less than 30 minutes.

Put-backs. SPU is likely to climb into the top 10 when the new national poll is released Dec. 4. Several top-20 teams from the preseason poll have suffered at least one defeat...This is the third year in a row that Seattle Pacific has started 5-0. The best start was 12-0 en route to the Elite Eight appearance in 1998...The 110 points against Northwest College ranks second only to the 112 vs. Western New Mexico in 1997-98...Gustafson averaged more than 10 points and five rebounds, and added four steals, capping her strong week with a 13-point outing against PLU which helped earn her a spot on the all-tournament team...Stephanie Urrutia (Sr., 5-9, Sunnyside, Wa.) scored 17 points in both the Westmont and Northwest College games, sinking a combined 15-22 from the field...The Falcons lead the GNAC in scoring (88.2), scoring defense (54.4), field-goal percentage (.501), three-point accuracy (.467), rebounding margin (+11.4) and steals (16.8). Individually, Wood is the leader in three-point percentage (.818) and Michelle Beaumont (So., 5-11, Bellingham, Wa./Sehome) is fourth (.692). Berglund is fourth in scoring and fifth in both rebounding and shooting (.618). Kerie Hughes (Sr., 5-6, Mount Vernon, Wa.) is No. 3 in assists (5.4) and has an assists-to-turnovers ration of 3 to 1...Kroon is sixth in blocks (1.20).

SPU Coaches. Coach Gordy Presnell reached the 300-victory milestone last season and has never registered a losing season in 15 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 11 times, including an Elite Eight appearance in 1998. Joining Presnell's staff this season are two former University of Oregon players. Lindsey Dion served as a volunteer graduate assistant last season when the Ducks won the WNIT title. She played on Oregon's Pac-10 championship team in 2000 and was co-captain of another NCAA tournament team in 2001. Jamie Craighead completed her career last season as Oregon's leader in three-pointers and started all 35 games, averaging 7.9 points.

Missing links. For the latest and best information on Seattle Pacific University athletics, stay where you're at -- on The Falcons Online. For updated standings and statistics, see the Great Northwest Athletic Conference web site.