No. 1 Falcons Top No. 20 Western Washington
February 22, 2003

SEATTLE (Feb. 22) -- Kelley Berglund (Sr., 6-3, Port Angeles, Wa./ Washington State) scored 19 points and Valerie Gustafson (Jr., 6-0, Olympia, Wa./Black Hills) recorded a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double to lead the Seattle Pacific University women's basketball team past No. 20 Western Washington 102-91 in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference game Saturday night at Brougham Pavilion.

The Falcons are currently ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division II national poll and first in the West Region.

The Falcons (14-0, 23-0) victory extends their record home-unbeaten streak to 31 games and keeps the team perfect this season. A record crowd of 1375 packed the Pavilion.

Seattle Pacific outscored the Vikings (13-2, 20-4) 27-12 between the end of the first half and the initial part of the second to take a commanding lead in the game. The Falcons lead reached a game-high 19 points midway through the second half.

The two teams combined for more than ten total points in the first minute of the contest and proceeded with an up-tempo, full-court first half. Megan Quarterman accounted for 20 of the Vikings 43 first half points on seven- of-nine shooting.

The Falcons trailed by as much as five points on two separate occasions in the first stanza before a 17-7 run that spanned five minutes gave them the lead for good. The run was buoyed mainly on the defensive end where the Falcons forced 14 turnovers by Western to create easy transition baskets. Coach Gordy Presnell's team finished the half on a 10-2 run to earn a double-digit leading at the half.

Berglund finished the game 7-for-13 from the line and five-for-eight from the charity stripe. She also forced a game-high four steals. Kerie Hughes (Sr., 5-6, Mount Vernon, Wa./Mount Vernon) handed out a team-high seven assists and added 18 points of her own behind Berglund.

Seattle Pacific travels to Alaska for a pair of GNAC matchups next week.

SEATTLE PACIFIC -- Urrutia 8, Gustafson 12, Berglund 19, Hughes 18, Beaumont 11, Smith 2, Hermanson 6, Wood 11, Lukkes 4, Kroon 3, Poe 8.

WESTERN WASHINGTON -- DeBoer 20, Miller 18, Rodgers 9, Quarterman 31, Eggen 6, Dressel 0, Hubbard 0, Donahue 0, McGillvary 7, Gerald 0.

Halftime -- SPU 53, WWU 43