Long & short of it. It's the end of the road. Or is it? Still alive in the postseason hunt thanks to a couple favorable, close encounters at home, Seattle Pacific University makes its final two road stops this week. The Falcons (10-4, 14-9), tied for second place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, fly to Idaho and visit Northwest Nazarene (1-13, 3-19) Thursday night (Feb. 27) before making the short drive across town to Seattle University (8-6, 15-8) Saturday night (Mar. 1). The final two regular season games are at home against Saint Martin's and Central Washington next week.

All eyes on March. These may be the final road games of the regular season, but SPU still harbors hopes of making another trip in mid-March, to the NCAA West Regional. Following a long drop from No. 4 to No. 11 in last week's Division II regional rankings, Seattle Pacific should be back in the mix after edging nationally-ranked Humboldt State (113-108) and Western Oregon (86-84) while watching five of the West's top 10 lose at least once. The region's top eight teams earn playoff berths. First-year Coach Jeff Hironaka has his team in a position to share the GNAC title, trailing Humboldt by one game with four to play. The Falcons have gone to the NCAA tournament five straight seasons and eight of the last nine.

Depth charge. There's certainly no quit in this club, with the dramatic, four-overtime victory over Humboldt serving as Exhibit A. Seattle Pacific trailed by 10 in the second half of regulation and by seven in the third overtime, yet proved relentless in mounting rallies, thanks in large part to its depth. The reserves accounted for 49 points against the Lumberjacks and 39 versus Western Oregon, and the key contributor in both must-win efforts was forward Jesse Keely (Sr., 6-7, Fircrest, Wa./Bellarmine). It was Keely whose offensive rebounding kept the Falcons close to the 'Jacks in the first half. He then came off the bench and scored seven of his career-high 22 points in the third and fourth overtime periods and also totaled 11 rebounds and four steals. With the team obviously fatigued two nights later, Keely again paced the team with 16 points-10 coming in second half-vs. the Wolves. Two-game totals of 38 points (12-21 FGs, 14-15 FTs) and 18 rebounds earned him co-player of the week in the GNAC.

Fans dig the long ball. Also receiving consideration for honors was long-distance shooter Jeff Knudson (Fr., 6-7, Mukilteo, Wa./Kamiak). After an extended dry spell, Knudson reemerged to help save the season by pumping in season-high 16 points vs. Western Oregon after scoring 13 against Humboldt. Knudson's high-arching three-pointers accounted for 21 of his 29 points as he hit 7-11 outside the arc. Gene Woodard (Sr., 6-4, Edmonds, Wa./O'Dea) also played huge vs. Humboldt. His 11-point, six-rebound effort came in a career-high 38 minutes and it was his third straight game in double figures.

Something to talk about. SPU certainly gave its faithful fans something to talk about last week. The student section spilled onto the court when, at long last, the final buzzer sounded against Humboldt. At four overtimes, it was the longest game in 29 years and matched the second-longest ever (there was a five-OT game in 1954). The contest featured Maurice Cato (Sr., 6-0, Fairfield, Ca.) tying a school mark with 14 assists. Keely tied a SPU standard by hitting all 10 of his free throws vs. WOU. The Lumberjacks' Austin Nichols set an opponent record with 46 points.

On the frontline. Overshadowed by the resolve of the reserves was the starting frontline effort vs. Humboldt State. All-America candidate Yusef Aziz (Sr., 6-4, Seattle, Wa./Foster) and center Jason Chivers (So., 6-8, Palmdale, Ca./Highland-L.A. Trade Tech) combined for 38 points and 16 boards before fouling out. But the exit of Aziz afforded Daniel Sandrin (Sr., 6-7, Bothell, Wa./Bothell) the chance to deliver the knockout blows. A fresh Sandrin went hard to the hole for eight of his 14 points in the final OT period. Chivers has been on a tear of late, particularly on the road, where he's averaged 16.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.75 blocks and shot 76 percent from the field in four games since Jan. 23. Aziz ranks among the conference leaders in scoring (17.9/sixth), steals (1.61/seventh), rebounding (6.4/eighth) and assists (3.6/eighth). Chivers is No. 2 in field-goal percentage (.575), No. 6 in rebounding (6.5) and No. 8 in blocks (0.96).

Put-backs. Losses by No. 6 Cal State Bakersfield, No. 7 Hawaii Hilo and No. 9 Alaska Anchorage should enable Seattle Pacific to rejoin the region's top eight or nine this week. Cal State San Bernardino remains No. 1...SPU is now 13-1 when leading or tied at halftime and 14-2 when shooting at least 49 percent from the field...The Falcons have clinched their 15th consecutive winning season...Cato's 14 assists tied the record first set by Warren King in 1996...Aziz surpassed 2000 career points (junior college plus SPU) vs. Western Oregon and now has 2005...Seattle Pacific is No. 1 in both GNAC 3-point (.410) and overall (.500) field goal accuracy. Those figures rank ninth and 10th, respectively, in the NCAA. In conference games, the Falcons are averaging a league-best 85.1 points and shooting 73 percent from the foul line and 52 percent from the floor. Individually, Adam Harris (Sr., 6-0, Fox Island, Wa./Gig Harbor) continues to lead the conference in three-point accuracy (.515/34-66) while Knudson is No. 2 (.500/29-58). Keely qualified for field-goal accuracy and is No. 5 (.560). Cato is No. 7 in steals (1.59).

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

SPU Coaches. The longest-serving assistant in program history, Jeff Hironaka was selected to succeed Ken Bone as head coach Apr. 30, 2002. A former aide at Idaho State and The Master's, Hironaka joined Bone in 1991 and from there the Falcons won 236 of 253 games, claimed five outright or shared conference championships and qualified for the NCAA tournament eight of the last nine years, including a Final Four advancement in 2000. Hironaka is the second Japanese-American head coach of a four-year collegiate program. Keith Cooper, an alumnus of Seattle Pacific, is the staff's top assistant. Cooper previously was an assistant at Central Washington. and Pacific Lutheran, and head coach at Federal Way's Decatur High School. George Parker who first served as an assistant in 1986, returns for his 14th year on the staff. Others who are new to the staff are Rich King, former Nebraska and Seattle SuperSonics center, and Michael Johnson, an all-state selection from nearby Ballard and four-year letterman at Washington.

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.