Same ol’, same ol’. A new year has come, but the No. 9-ranked Seattle Pacific University women’s basketball team hopes it’s the same old story (win, win, win) as Great Northwest Athletic Conference shifts into high gear this week. Following a 19-day holiday break, the undefeated Falcons (1-0, 10-0) put their 25-game GNAC win streak on the line as they host arch-rival Western Washington (2-0, 9-2) Thursday (Jan. 8) and Seattle University (1-1, 5-6) Saturday (Dec. 20). Next week SPU travels to Alaska for a pair of games.

Good shape. Coach Gordy Presnell has his team exactly where he wants them, according to what he said during preseason drills:

“If we can have a pretty solid record by the first of the year, then I will feel like we have a good chance to have a great season.”

Mission accomplished. After getting two more tough road wins the weekend before Christmas during the CCAA/GNAC Challenge at Cal State L.A., the Falcons remain unbeaten, are outscoring opponents by 22.7 points per game and lead the conference in a number of categories. SPU tops the GNAC in scoring offense (83.1), scoring margin (+22.7), field-goal percentage (.453), field-goal percentage defense (.340), rebounding offense (44.9), assists (19.9), steals (12.3) and blocks (6.8). This is Seattle Pacific’s fourth 10-0 start under Presnell. The last two teams to do so (1998 and last season) reached the West Region championship game of the NCAA Division II tournament.

Solid Wood. Reserve guard Mandy Wood (So., 5-7, Port Angeles, Wa.) had a weekend to remember in Los Angeles. She led the team in scoring during both victories and was named to the all-tournament team. In SPU’s 74-66 win over Cal State L.A., Wood scored 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting (2-3 treys). She had 14 again, including a crucial three in the final minutes, as the Falcons beat Cal Poly Pomona 79-78 the following day. For the weekend, Wood totaled 28 points while shooting 10-for-16 (.625) from the floor and 3-6 from three-point range. She also added six assists, four rebounds and three steals. For the season, Wood leads SPU in three-point shooting (.386, No. 5 in GNAC) and is the team’s No. 2 scorer (10.8 ppg) and playmaker (3.2 apg).

Brittney’s block party. Center Brittney Kroon (So., 6-4, Wasilla, Ak.) was a defensive force during the L.A. tourney. She blocked five shots against Cal State L.A. then swatted a season-high six against Cal Poly Pomona. None of Kroon’s blocks were bigger than her stuff of Pomona’s final shot attempt with 2 seconds remaining to seal the Falcons’ one-point win. She didn’t do too badly on offense that game either, contributing 12 points on 6-for-7 shooting. Kroon leads the GNAC with 3.6 blocks a game and is No. 2 in field-goal percentage (.578).

Seeing double. Seattle Pacific’s balance is one of the keys to its success and that was evident in L.A. as seven different players scored in double figures during the tournament. Besides Wood and Kroon, Valerie Gustafson (Sr., 6-0, Olympia, Wa./Black Hills) had 12 points in each game and Amy Taylor (Jr., 5-8, Shoreline, Wa./Shorewood-Oregon) scored 13 vs. CSLA. Against Pomona, Jenny Poe (So., 5-8, Enumclaw, Wa./Enumclaw-Portland State) had 11 and Michelle Beaumont (Jr., 5-11, Bellingham, Wa./Sehome) pitched in 10. Carli Smith (So., 5-11, Spokane, Wa./Valley Christian) added her second double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 boards against Cal State L.A. Eight SPU players are averaging more than six points while nine are playing between 14.8 and 26.6 minutes a game.

Put-backs. A new national poll, the first since Dec. 16, comes out Jan. 6...SPU has now won 43 consecutive regular season games, and its home conference win streak stands at 26...Kristin Poe (Sr., 5-8, Enumclaw, Wa./Enumclaw) made the winning basket with 9 seconds left against Cal Poly Pomona. The game featured four ties and seven lead changes in the final five minutes...Freshman Tara Jacob (5-10, Edmonds, Wa./Meadowdale) missed both games in L.A. due to a knee injury. She is scheduled for surgery on Jan. 6 and is expected to miss up to three weeks, although Presnell says a medical redshirt is still an option since Jacob has played in just four games... Squeezable mini basketballs will be given away to the first 400 fans attending Thursday’s doubleheader. The balls feature the Falcons’ logo on one side and the NCAA Basketball trademark on the other...Gustafson is No. 2 in GNAC in scoring (17.5 ppg), No. 3 in steals (2.40), No. 4 in field-goal percentage (.538) and No. 8 in blocks (0.80)...Taylor is No. 2 in free-throw percentage (.909)...Smith is the GNAC’s No. 6 rebounder (8.4)...SPU has not lost a conference or regular season game at home since Jan. 18, 2001, against Central Washington. Jenny Poe is No. 6 in steals (1.90) and Kristin Poe is 10th among rebounders (7.3). Beaumont is No. 10 in three-point accuracy (.366).

Tickets, Please. General admission tickets for all SPU home women’s basketball games are priced $5, with students, youth and senior citizens $3 with proper identification. Reserved seating for doubleheaders with men’s games are $7 and $6. Teams or groups can qualify for discount rates by calling (206) 281-2085 in advance.

SPU Coaches. Coach Gordy Presnell was voted the 2003 Russell Athletic/Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year for NCAA Division II last season after having also been named both conference and regional coach of the year. He has never registered a losing season in 16 years at the helm of the Seattle Pacific University basketball program. Presnell 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 21 wins per season and qualified for the playoffs 11 times, including an Elite Eight appearance in 1998.

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.