Home and again. It begins with a couple of home games, yet it could become the biggest home stand in five years. Top-ranked, undefeated and newly-crowned Great Northwest Athletic Conference champion Seattle Pacific University returns to Brougham Pavilion for its final pair of regular season contests this week. The Falcons (16-0, 25-0) will be seeking to wrap-up the top seed in the West Region when they face Western Oregon (8-8, 13-12) Thursday (Mar. 6) and Humboldt State (4-12, 9-16) Saturday (Mar. 8). If they win both, they will become the first SPU team to finish a regular season unbeaten but, more importantly, they will host the first three rounds of the NCAA Division II tournament, beginning Mar. 14.

Last one standing. Heading into this week, the Falcons are the lone remaining team in a handful of respects. First off, Seattle Pacific beat out nine fellow GNAC institutions to capture its second conference crown in three seasons and fourth under Coach Gordy Presnell. Secondly, the Falcons remain the only undefeated team at the Division II level. Finally, Presnell's team has the conference's longest regular season winning streak and home winning streak, both currently at 31 games. SPU is a shoo-in for the NCAA tournament, its seventh straight berth and eighth in nine years. The 64-team bracket will be announced Sunday (Mar. 9), beginning at 7 p.m. PST. Eight teams are drawn into each regional, the winners of which advance to the Elite Eight, Mar. 26-29 in Saint Joseph, Mo.

This time it's personal. Saturday's game will be a time to celebrate, both beforehand and (hopefully) afterward. Prior to tip-off there will be a salute to the team's four seniors: Kelley Berglund (Sr., 6-3, Port Angeles, Wa./Washington State), Kerie Hughes (Sr., 5-6, Mount Vernon, Wa./Mount Vernon), Stacie Lukkes (Sr., 6-0, Kent, Wa./Kentwood) and Stephanie Urrutia (Sr., 5-9, Sunnyside, Wa.). Hughes and Urrutia have been fixtures in the SPU backcourt for four seasons, with Hughes starting at point guard 87 times and Urrutia a three-year starter. Berglund, an all-region and all-conference center, will long be remembered as one of the most dominant and versatile inside players in program history. Lukkes has appeared in 104 games as a reserve center and is a two-time academic all-conference selection.

Splitting votes? One race yet to be determined is the GNAC player of the year award. In Berglund and Hughes, Presnell has two prime candidates. Hughes has gone on a tear during the second half of the season, averaging 15.9 points since Jan. 11. Last week she posted a pair of 21-point outings as SPU prevailed over Alaska Anchorage (93-78) and Alaska Fairbanks (84-69). She converted a combined 10-for-19 from the floor, charged down the lane to earn 27 free throws (sinking 20) and passed for 12 assists versus only three turnovers. In the conference, Hughes is third in assists (5.64), fifth in three-point accuracy (.431) and 10th free-throw percentage (.769). Berglund is coming off her eighth double-double of the season, finishing with 14 points and 12 rebounds at Fairbanks. She's the season leader in both scoring (13.3) and rebounding (8.4), ranking fourth in the GNAC in the latter and fifth in shooting percentage (.548).

Not in our house. There's little doubt that West Region coaches have begun searching for ways to beat SPU. No supportive videotapes exist for this season, and if they're trying to win in Brougham, they'll need to dig back to Jan. 18, 2001. Rarely have home games proven dramatic this season. The Falcons have won 10 times by an average of 25.2 points, out-rebounded visitors by 13.3. The 31-game streak is the nation's third-longest.

The deep end. The Falcons, with an up-tempo transition game and plenty of depth, seem to run opponents into the ground. Wave upon wave of quality players are at Presnell's disposal and he usually goes 11 deep, especially now that everyone is healthy. Seven different players scored in double figures during the Alaska trip, including non-starters like Carli Smith (Fr., 5-11, Spokane, Wa./Valley Christian) and Brittney Kroon (Fr., 6-4, Wasilla, Ak.). Smith totaled 24 points and 10 boards while Kroon had six blocked shots and eight rebounds in 18 minutes.

Put-backs. The school season record for victories is 27, set 1997-98 by the only team reach the Elite Eight...Only one Div. II team (North Dakota State in 1994-95) has gone undefeated (32-0) through the playoffs...No previous SPU women's basketball team has gone undefeated in conference play...Following last week's games, a new season record for free throws made (477) was established...Berglund's current scoring average would be the lowest by an SPU scoring leader in 24 years...Valerie Gustafson (Jr., 6-0, Olympia, Wa./Black Hills) was 13-21 from the field and scored 27 points last week...Urrutia is six points shy of cracking the career scoring leader list. She will bump Elizabeth Fenner (1992-95) from No. 10. Hughes moved into No. 5 in career assists and steals...The Falcons lead the GNAC in nine statistical categories, including scoring (84.4), scoring margin (+21.8), field-goal percentage (.482), three-point accuracy (.405), rebounding (+8.7), steals (12.92), blocked shots (4.68), scoring defense (62.5) and defensive field-goal percentage (.357)...Nationally, SPU is No. 4 in scoring margin, No. 5 in scoring offense and sixth in three-point accuracy... Individually in the GNAC, Mandy Wood (Fr., 5-6, Port Angeles, Wa.) is No. 1 (.533) and Michelle Beaumont (So., 5-11, Bellingham, Wa./Sehome) No. 2 (.484) in three-point percentage. Kroon is No. 2 in blocked shots (1.38). Smith is No. 3 in free-throw percentage (.833), No. 4 in field-goal accuracy (.556) and No. 7 in rebounding (7.3). Gustafson is No. 3 in field-goal percentage (.582). Berglund is No. 7 in blocked shots (0.88) and No. 12 in scoring (13.6). Urrutia is No. 7 in free-throw percentage (.811) and assists (3.96).

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.