Road warriors. After picking up a pair of road wins last week, the fourth-ranked Seattle Pacific University women’s basketball team faces another set of games away from campus. The Falcons (9-0, 18-0) won’t have to travel far as they play across town at Seattle University (4-5, 8-10) on Thursday (Feb. 5), then trek up I-5 to take on Western Washington (7-2, 14-4) in Bellingham Saturday night (Feb. 7), in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play. SPU plays host to Alaska Fairbanks and Anchorage next week.

Separating themselves. At the halfway point in the GNAC schedule, Coach Gordy Presnell has the Falcons in the driver’s seat in respect to the conference standings. The Birds are perched on top with a two-game lead over closest competitors Western Washington and Saint Martin’s. Seattle Pacific, which has won 31 straight conference games and 51 consecutive regular-season contests, can put even more distance between itself and Western when the two teams square off this weekend in Bellingham. The Falcons dropped Saint Martin’s 87-69 to third place last week in Lacey. SPU continued at No. 1 in the NCAA West Region rankings and moved up to fourth in the NCAA Division II poll last week.

Britt’s blocks. Not once in the previous 29 years of Falcon basketball has a player dominated the paint like center Brittney Kroon (So., 6-4, Wasilla, Ak.). In a 99-80 win at Northwest Nazarene Thursday night, Kroon blocked a school and GNAC record 13 shots, breaking Kristen Carlson’s old mark of 11 set in 1996. Kroon’s total is the best single-game mark this winter among NCAA Division II players and ranks sixth all-time since ‘93 when the NCAA began tracking the statistic. Kroon added five more swats against Saint Martin’s to give her a staggering 18 for the week. Kroon leads the nation in blocks (4.4 bpg) and has already tied the GNAC individual season record with 79. The sophomore center also totaled 28 points on 56 percent shooting (13-23 FGs) and pulled down 16 rebounds in SPU’s victories. For her efforts, she was named GNAC co-player of the week.

No ‘I’ in T-E-A-M. Opponents have been challenged to say the least in trying to find a way to stop the Falcons. It might be easy to target leading scorer Valerie Gustafson (Sr., 6-0, Olympia, Wa./Black Hills), who is averaging 16 points a game, but doubling down on Val leaves at least seven of her teammates who have also scored in double figures this season. Take the Falcons’ matchup with NNU: Seven players hit for 10 or more points. Seattle Pacific was clicking on all cylinders in Idaho, setting season-highs for points (99), field-goal percentage (.632), made field-goals (43), made treys (11), assists (32) and blocks (13). The key is balance. Eight Falcons average between 6.4 and 16.0 points per game while nine players are averaging double-digit minutes.

Returning to form. Following an early season stretch where she literally dominated games, opponents began keying on Gustafson, limiting her shots and trying to get her into early foul trouble. Such was the case against Saint Martin’s as Val scored just two points in the first half. The second half was an entirely different story. Gustafson came out out of the locker room rejuvenated and dominated the rest of the contest, scoring 17 of her game-high 19 points in the latter half. The forward hit on five of six shots, nailed all six of her free throws and finished with a game-high nine boards in 22 minutes. After totaling just 16 points and eight rebounds in the two games prior, it seems Gustafson is back on track after racking up 29 points and 15 boards in SPU’s last two wins.

Best bench bunch. When Presnell needs a spark, he needs look no further than his bench. Top reserves Mandy Wood (So., 5-7, Port Angeles, Wa.), Carli Smith (So., 5-11, Spokane, Wa./Valley Christian) and Jenny Poe (So., 5-8, Enumclaw, Wa./Enumclaw-Portland State) statistically combine for an average of 23.1 points, 13.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 4.3 steals per game. Poe tied her season best with 12 points (5-8 FGs) against NNU while Wood pitched in 28 points on the week. Smith is Seattle Pacific’s top rebounder (8.1 rpg), and rates No. 6 in the GNAC.

Put-backs. Seattle Pacific is one of three remaining undefeated teams in Division II, joining top ranked California, Pa. (20-0) and No. 2 Emporia State (17-0)...The last time SPU lost a conference and regular season game was at Western Washington on Feb. 7, 2002...Michelle Beaumont (Jr., 5-11, Bellingham, Wa./Sehome) scored 16 points at NNU and tied her career-high with five assists the Saints...Gustafson is the GNAC’s No. 2 shooter (.564), is No. 4 in steals (2.00) and sixth in scoring (16.1)...Kristin Poe (Sr., 5-8, Enumclaw, Wa./Enumclaw) leads the conference in three-point field-goal percentage (.486), is seventh in steals (1.83), No. 9 in defensive rebounds (4.83) and tenth in rebounds (6.8)...Amy Taylor (Jr., 5-8, Shoreline, Wa./Shorewood-Oregon) rates at the top of the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.91), is No. 5 in three-point field-goal percentage (.410), No. 7 in field-goal percentage (.482), No. 9 in assists (3.61) and three-point field-goals made (1.78)...Kroon is the GNAC’s No. 5 percentage shooter (.533)...Wood is fourth in three-point field-goal percentage (.412), No. 7 in three-point field-goals made (1.83) and in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.27)...Smith is fifth in offensive rebounds (3.24), eighth in steals (1.76) and No. 10 in defensive rebounds (4.82)...The Falcons continue to lead the GNAC in scoring offense (82.6, No. 13 in DII), scoring defense (61.2), scoring margin (+21.4, No. 8 in DII), field-goal percentage (.469, No. 25 in DII), field-goal percentage defense (.352, No. 17 in DII), three-point field-goal percentage (.380), rebounding (44.3), rebounding margin (+8.8, No. 17 in DII), defensive rebounding (29.0), assists (21.11), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.16), blocks (7.0), steals (11.78) and three-point field-goals per game (7.22, No. 20 in DII).

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.