Back after a break. The Seattle Pacific University women's basketball team dives headlong back into the non-conference side of the schedule this week following a 13-day break for final exams. The unbeaten Falcons (7-0) could rise even higher than their current No. 4 national ranking before Friday's (Dec. 20) game at Idaho's Lewis-Clark State (9-3). After that, Seattle Pacific gets another break before facing two-time defending NCAA Division II champion and No. 10 Cal Poly Pomona Dec. 27 in the opening round of the CCAA/GNAC Challenge in Bellingham. SPU is in the midst of five consecutive games on the road.

Uncommon ground. Coach Gordy Presnell predicted before the season began that this year's team may be his best yet. And the nation's coaches appear to be in agreement. For the first time in the 25-year existence of women's basketball at Seattle Pacific, the Falcons cracked the top five nationally in the poll released Dec. 12. Presnell's club bounded two spots from its previous-best ranking of No. 6. They won their first seven games by an average of 29.3 points and defeated North Dakota State (currently No. 7) on a neutral court. It's likely that SPU will rise higher still; No. 1 Missouri Western and No. 2 North Dakota each lost and a new poll will be released Dec. 18. South Dakota State was No. 3 in the most recent rankings.

Wake-up call. Presnell probably has mixed emotions about this week's brief trip. He's a native of Lewiston and began his coaching career at nearby high schools in Lapwai and Kendrick, with the latter winning a 4A state title while he was an assistant boys coach. But Presnell and many other coaches have found it difficult to win on Lewis-Clark State's home floor. The Falcons are 2-12 at Warrior Gym and L-C State is ranked 16th among NAIA teams this week.

First, the bad news. Presnell's first bad news of the campaign actually occurred during the lull in games. During a practice session last week, starting forward Kristin Poe (Jr., 5-8, Enumclaw, Wa.) suffered a torn medial collateral ligament (MCL) in her left knee. Surgery is not required but Poe, the team's top defender, No. 2 rebounder (5.9) and co-captain, will miss the next 4-6 weeks. She missed the bulk of her sophomore year after tearing her right ACL. Last season she mounted an extraordinary comeback, leading the team in rebounding and steals and earning all-Great Northwest Athletic Conference honors.

Now the good news. Fortunately, a few days after Poe's injury Presnell received some good news. Trisha Hermanson (So., 5-6, Buckley, Wa./White River) was cleared to begin play, having becoming academically eligible. Hermanson was the top guard off the bench as a freshman, averaging 19.6 minutes, 4.2 points and 2.4 assists.

Backcourt comes through. Top players typically save their best for the big games. Perhaps that explains why the veteran guard tandem of Stephanie Urrutia (Sr., 5-9, Sunnyside, Wa./Sunnyside) and Kerie Hughes (Sr., 5-6, Mount Vernon, Wa.) shined in Seattle Pacific's conference openers. Hughes was a perfect 7 of 7 from the floor, including 2-for-2 from three-point range, for a team-high 19 points in the first game, a 98-76 win at Humboldt State. Urrutia was the only player to reach double-figures in both games as she totaled 27 points, including 14 in a 62-48 victory at Western Oregon. The backcourt surge proved fortuitous because the frontcourt cast struggled. Leading scorer Kelley Berglund (Sr., 6-3, Port Angeles, Wa./Washington State) managed just 16 points in the two games and the Falcons were only a plus-five in rebounding.

Put-backs. By winning its first seven games, the team has matched the best starts of 1989-90 and 1997-98. The latter squad eventually went 12-0 and later won the NCAA West Regional...Valerie Gustafson (Jr., 6-0, Olympia, Wa./Black Hills) shot a near-prefect 8-9 from the floor and scored a season-high 16 points at Humboldt. In that same game, Carli Smith (Fr., 5-11, Spokane, Wa./Valley Christian) came off the bench for 13 points and eight boards in 14 minutes of play...Poe pulled down 10 rebounds at Western Oregon...The series of early-season blowouts have allowed Presnell to rest his key players and further evaluate others. Eleven of the 13 roster players are averaging 10 or more minutes per game, compared to nine players last season. Eight players are averaging seven or more points per contest...Just one week into the GNAC schedule and the Falcons are the only undefeated team and lead the conference in scoring (85.9), scoring defense (56.6), scoring margin (29.3), field-goal percentage (.491), rebounding margin (+9.9), turnover margin (-7.86) and steals (15.6). Individually, reserve guard Mandy Wood (Fr., 5-6, Port Angeles, Wa./Port Angeles) ranks first in three-point percentage (.750), third in field-goal percentage (.629), fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.81) and eight in assists (3.6). Michelle Beaumont (So., 5-11, Bellingham, Wa./Sehome) ranks third in three-point accuracy (.600). Berglund is seventh in scoring (14.7), fourth in rebounding (8.7) and ninth in field-goal shooting (.536). Hughes is fifth in assists (5.0) and ranks second in assists-to-turnovers ratio (2.06)...Brittney Kroon (Fr., 6-4, Wasilla, Ak.) is sixth in blocks (1.14)... Poe ranks fourth steals (2.86)...Urrutia is eighth in assists (3.6).

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.