Sweet 16. Even after a road-heavy first half of the season, No. 2-ranked Seattle Pacific University coasts into homecoming like no other women's basketball team in school history. Following a pair of road victories over traditional rivals to extend their unbeaten streak to 16 games, the Falcons (7-0, 16-0) play five of their next seven Great Northwest Athletic Conference games at home where they have won 26 straight. Thursday (Jan. 30) SPU hosts another playoff contender, Alaska Anchorage (3-3, 8-6). Then comes the homecoming matinee Saturday (Feb. 1) against Alaska Fairbanks (1-5, 6-9). Next week's itinerary includes trips to both Saint Martin's and Northwest Nazarene.

Clearing the way. In a shocking development last week, the Falcons failed to break another school record. Actually, that's only partly true. They did manage to extend their record-breaking win streak two more games. What is particularly commendable is which teams they beat and where. SPU buried a five-game losing streak against the Vikings in Bellingham, defeating No. 16-ranked Western Washington 78-62. Two nights later: same score, different scene. Seattle Pacific dominated its contest with crosstown rival Seattle U., again by a count of 78-62. The team has now won 22 consecutive regular season games dating back to Feb. 7, 2002. It has not lost at home since Jan. 18, 2001.

Job One. Unfortunately for their foes, the Falcons' job could get easier in the final weeks of the regular season. Seven of the final 11 games will be played in Brougham Pavilion, where they have not lost since Jan. 18, 2001. Coach Gordy Presnell asks that his players take it one game at a time, but their shared long-range goals are beginning to come into focus. Seattle Pacific now owns sole possession of first place in the GNAC and is firmly entrenched at the top of the West Region rankings in NCAA Division II. The latter looms large because the top seed hosts the regional tournament in March. The one time Presnell's program hosted a regional playoff, it parlayed the home-court advantage into a trip to the 1998 Elite Eight.

The rock. Nothing appears strong enough to crack the iron will of point guard Kerie Hughes (Sr., 5-6, Mount Vernon, Wa./Mount Vernon). Not even three broken teeth or a sprained knee. In her senior season, Hughes has managed to help Presnell implement a new offense to near-perfection. Her tough style of play earns her countless trips to the charity stripe where she is the program's all-time best shooter (.812). Hughes has turned it up a notch in recent weeks, reaching double figures in four straight games, including 18 points (6-10 FGs, 3 treys) and seven assists while playing a season-high 38 minutes at Western. She added another 11 points, six assists and six steals during a shorter (20 min.) stint versus the Redhawks to wrap-up GNAC player of the week.

Dead-eye Val. A key ingredient to the climb up the national poll and its dominance of the GNAC is the team's balance and consistency. Simply put, opponents must stop more than one or two people if they want to beat the Falcons. On the front line, a couple forwards have taken advantage of the defensive attention paid to all-region center Kelley Berglund (Sr., 6-3, Port Angeles, Wa./Washington State). Valerie Gustafson (Jr., 6-0, Olympia, Wa./Black Hills) has exploited the situation, getting and making high-percentage shots. Gustafson owns the best field-goal percentage (.608) in the GNAC after shooting 15-25 last week, including 9-for-13 and a team-high 19 points against Seattle U. Presnell can keep the pressure on by bringing the likes of Carli Smith (Fr., 5-11, Spokane, Wa./Valley Christian) off the bench. During January, Smith has averaged virtually a double-double (10.7 points, 9.7 boards) while playing just 16.5 minutes per game. She contributed 12 rebounds and 10 points in the Western win.

Put-backs. Stephanie Urrutia (Sr., 5-9, Sunnyside, Wa./Sunnyside) played an efficient and effective game at SU, scoring 18 points while going 6-9 from the floor. She also had four steals and just one turnover...Berglund totaled 27 points (7-15 FGs) and 15 rebounds last week...SPU retained its No. 2 ranking for the fourth straight week in the poll released on Jan. 22. Top-ranked South Dakota State plays at Augustana (S.D.) this week...Kristin Poe (Jr., 5-8, Enumclaw, Wa.), rehabilitating a torn MCL in her left knee, is aiming to return to practice next week. Poe started the first seven games before being injured...The Falcons lead the GNAC in seven categories, including scoring (83.8), scoring defense (59.4), scoring margin (+24.3), rebounding (+9.9), steals (14.06) and three-point accuracy (.380). Individually, Mandy Wood (Fr., 5-6, Port Angeles, Wa.) is first in three-point percentage (.600). Michelle Beaumont (So., 5-11, Bellingham, Wa./Sehome) is third in three-point percentage (.488) and fourth in free throw percentage (.821). Berglund is fourth in rebounding (8.4) and field-goal shooting (.556), and fifth in blocked shots (0.88). Hughes is fourth in assists (5.0), 10th in three-point percentage (.390) and third in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.70). Brittney Kroon (Fr., 6-4, Wasilla, Ak./Wasilla) is fourth in blocks (1.12). Smith is third in free-throw percentage (.826), sixth in field-goal percentage (.547) and seventh in rebounding (7.4). Urrutia is seventh in assists (3.94) and ninth in free-throw percentage (.804).

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

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.