Warm welcome home. After enduring sub-zero temperatures in Alaska last week, the No. 5-ranked Seattle Pacific University women’s basketball team returns to the warm and friendly confines of Brougham Pavilion for Homecoming weekend games. The Falcons (5-0, 14-0) put their 29-game Great Northwest Athletic Conference win streak on the line Thursday evening (Jan. 22) against Humboldt State (1-4, 3-11) then Saturday afternoon (Jan. 24) they face Western Oregon (3-2, 4-8) in the Homecoming matinee. Afterwards, SPU hits the road for the next four games, beginning at Northwest Nazarene next week.

Home sweet Brougham. The Falcons are streaking as they head into this week’s games. In addition to their current 14-game win streak and GNAC string of wins, SPU has won 47 consecutive regular season contests. Coach Gordy Presnell’s squad knows how to defend its home court, too. The Falcons have won their last 40 home regular season games dating back to Jan. 18, 2001. Overall, SPU has won 98 of the last 104 games played at Brougham.

Still no wiggle room. They’ve matched the best start in school history and are one of only four remaining undefeated teams in the nation, yet the Falcons are only halfway home and there’s pressure is coming from the rear. Saint Martin’s and Western Washington each have only one conference loss and, in the bigger picture, the top spots in the West Region are up for grabs. The first regional rankings from the NCAA are due Jan. 21. SPU should be No. 1, but after that it’s anybody’s guess. The top eight teams in the region go to the Division II tournament in March, with the top seed to host. Seattle Pacific hosted the 2003 regional tournament and it’s only loss over the last two years was to Cal State Bakersfield, 85-80, in the championship game.

Publisher’s clearinghouse. That record-setting team from 2002-03 will be honored at the Jan. 26 Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sports Star of the Year banquet as the Team of the Year. Presnell and assistant coach Kelley Berglund, the top scorer and rebounder last season, will accept the Publisher’s Award.

Val’s the gal. When comparing her stats to last year’s, there’s no doubt that Valerie Gustafson (Sr., 6-0, Olympia, Wa./Black Hills) has stepped up her game big time this season. She has improved in every statistical category, including scoring (17.2 vs. 9.9), rebounding (6.4 vs. 5.4), steals (2.3 vs. 1.8), assists (1.93 vs. 1.67), field-goal percentage (.562 vs. .555), free-throw percentage (.717 vs. .688), three-point percentage (.600 vs. .250) and minutes played (26.8 vs. 22.5). Gustafson had another productive weekend in Alaska, leading the Falcons to a pair of wins by totaling 35 points, 11 rebounds, six steals and six assists while shooting an extremely efficient 16-22 from the floor. She is No. 2 in the GNAC in scoring and field-goal percentage, No. 4 in steals and No. 10 in blocked shots. Her double figures scoring streak now stands at 13 straight games.

On guard. Amy Taylor (Jr., 5-8, Shoreline, Wa./Shorewood-Oregon) seems to be settling into her new team and role at starting point guard after two seasons at Oregon. A two guard normally, Taylor has had to adjust to playing the point for the Falcons. Following a career night (25 points) against Seattle U., she was again productive in Alaska. Against Fairbanks, she scored 12 points, then added 13 points and a season-high five rebounds vs. Anchorage. For the weekend, she shot 53 percent from the field, including 5-of-9 from three-point range. Taylor ranks No. 2 in conference free-throw percentage (.903), No. 3 in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.39) and No. 5 in three-point percentage (.400).

Productive Poes. Sisters Kristin Poe (Sr., 5-8, Enumclaw, Wa./Enumclaw) and Jenny Poe (So., 5-8, Enumclaw, Wa./Enumclaw-Portland State) consistently produce for SPU so it’s not unusual for one or the other to fill up their line on the stat sheet. Case in point in Alaska: Kristin had 10 points (3-5 FGs), four rebounds, three assists and two steals in 28 minutes against Fairbanks, while Jenny scored 11 points (5-6 FGs), had a career-high nine rebounds and dished four assists in 18 minutes the next game against Anchorage. Kristin leads the Falcons in assists (3.3) and is second in rebounds (7.0) and steals (1.7). Jenny is SPU’s No. 2 free-throw shooter (17-19, .895).

Put-backs. Seattle Pacific moved up two spots in this week’s USA Today/ESPN coaches poll following losses by North Florida and South Dakota State. California (Pa.) is No. 1 for the third week in a row...It’s not too often that a team shoots 50 percent or higher, but the Falcons actually accomplished that twice in Alaska. Against Fairbanks, where the highs were averaging 10-15 degrees below zero, SPU was hot, shooting 27-for-51 (.529) from the field while holding the Nanooks to 41 percent. Two days later at Anchorage, where temperatures were a balmy six degrees, the Falcons were 28-for-56 (.500) and forced the Seawolves into 20 percent shooting...SPU has not lost a conference game since Feb. 7, 2002, at Western Washington. The Fairbanks game was the closest in the last 29 conference outings. During the stretch, SPU has won by an average margin of 18.2 points...In her homecoming game at Anchorage, Brittney Kroon (So., 6-4, Wasilla, Ak.) had six points, seven rebounds and a career-high six blocked shots. Kroon leads the conference in blocks (3.7), ranking her No. 2 in NCAA Division II. She’s also the GNAC’s No. 3 shooter (.561)...The Falcons lead the GNAC in offense (81.8, No. 12 in DII), scoring defense (60.8), scoring margin (+21.0, No. 14 in DII), field-goal percentage (.462, No. 27 in DII), field-goal percentage defense (.346, No. 27 in DII), three-point field-goal percentage (.370, No. 25 in DII), rebounding offense (44.0), rebounding margin (+7.2, No. 35 in DII), assists (20.07), steals (11.79), blocks (6.79), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.07) and defensive rebounding (29.07)...Carli Smith (So., 5-11, Spokane, Wa./Valley Christian) is the GNAC’s No. 5 rebounder (8.3)...Mandy Wood (So., 5-7, Port Angeles, Wa.) is No. 4 in three-point field-goal percentage (.403) and No. 8 in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.18)...Kristin Poe is No. 9 in GNAC steals (1.17) and No. 10 in rebounds (7.0).

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.