Packing their bags. With several teams still nipping at its heels, Seattle Pacific University seeks to maintain its position atop the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and, for that matter, the West Region of NCAA Division II women’s basketball. The No. 3-ranked Falcons (6-0, 14-1), winners of 13 in a row, visit fellow postseason contender and travel partner Central Washington (4-2, 10-4) Thursday night (Jan. 20) before getting the weekend off. They resume play on the Road again next week, at second-place Western Washington and Seattle University.

Root for 49ers. The next couple games will prove pivotal to Seattle Pacific’s plans for a third straight GNAC title since Western Washington trails the Falcons by just one win and Central Washington, while two games back, has always posed problems. SPU will be going after its 49th consecutive conference victory at Ellensburg. The Falcons are coming off a spirited 77-68 home win over Saint Martin’s after earlier beating Northwest Nazarene, 83-50. They have now won 74 of their last 75 regular season games over four seasons and own 50 straight home regular season victories.

Rare close call. Rarely during this impressive run has Coach Gordy Presnell and his Falcons faced a nail-biter situation. The Saint Martin’s score snapped a string of 19 consecutive conference wins by 10 or more points, and it was only the seventh of the 48 straight decided by single digits. Also, it was the smallest home-court conference win margin in more than two years. After the Saints pulled within 67-63, Seattle Pacific responded with six unanswered points to regain a comfortable cushion.

Oh, Mandy. Seattle Pacific’s return home last week after a two-game road trip coincided with a return to the lineup for guard Mandy Wood (Jr., 5-6, Port Angeles, Wa.). Returning after a two-game absence due to a knee injury, Wood showed no signs of rust as she led the Falcons in scoring in both wins with her third- and fourth-highest point totals of the season. Wood earned GNAC player of the week honors for the second time after totaling 41 points on 15-of-23 shooting from the field, including 6-of-11 from three-point range. She shot 9-for-14 and poured in 20 points against Northwest Nazarene, then drained 4 of 6 treys and poured in 21 points against Saint Martin’s. Wood hit a three-pointer plus a free throw in the decisive second-half burst. She leads all guards and ranks seventh overall in the conference with an impressive 50.0 percent shooting accuracy. She’s also the team’s top scorer, averaging 13.5.

Smith a silent assassin. In a Seattle Pacific offense loaded with weapons, forward Carli Smith (Jr., 5-11, Spokane, Wa./Valley Christian) often gets overlooked in the shuffle. But that is proving that to be a critical mistake for opponents as Smith continues to provide SPU with consistently strong play, particularly inside. Smith recorded a double-double in both of last week’s victories, totaling 27 points, 20 rebounds and seven assists. She leads the league by averaging 9.7 rebounds per game and converting 57.5 percentage of her field goals. And, after a pair of double-doubles last week, including 16 points and 10 boards vs. Saint Martin’s, she is also tied for the league lead with five. In that contest she also passed the ball for a career-high four assists.

Put-backs. Seattle Pacific matched its best national ranking of the season this week, moving up one spot to No. 3. Drury (Mo.) and Washburn (Ks.) are Nos. 1 and 2. The Falcons’ sole loss was at North Dakota, now 13th. Other West teams in the rankings include Cal Poly Pomona (20th), Chico State (22nd) and Western Washington (24th)...The first NCAA regional rankings will be released this week. Those rankings determine the eight postseason contestants in March...Smith moved into No. 9 in career rebounding after last week. With 10 more boards she will rise to No. 8...Reserve guard Jenny Poe (Jr., 5-8, Enumclaw, Wa.) reached a new season high with six assists against Saint Martin’s and matched her season best with six rebounds against Northwest Nazarene...Seattle Pacific matched its season best by holding Northwest Nazarene to 24.6 percent shooting. The Falcons, who lead the GNAC and rank 27th nationally in field-goal percentage defense (.279) have held opponents under 30 percent in five games this year...SPU leads the GNAC and ranks seventh nationally in scoring (81.9) and leads the GNAC in scoring defense (58.7), producing a scoring margin of 23.3 which ranks sixth nationally...The Falcons, who are No. 1 in the GNAC in both three pointers made (7.47) and three-point percentage (.380) have hit at least five treys in every game this year...The team also leads the conference in field-goal percentage (.471), ranking fifth in the NCAA; defensive field goal percentage (.342); rebounding margin (10.1) and blocked shots (.567). It is No. 2 in defensive three-point percentage (.279) and No. 3 in free throw percentage (.764)...Individually, joining Smith as a leader are Brittney Kroon (Jr., 6-4, Wasilla, Ak.) in blocked shots (3.73) and Trisha Hermanson (Sr., 5-6, Buckley, Wa./White River) in three-point accuracy (.636). Amy Taylor (Sr., 5-8, Shoreline, Wa./Shorewood-Oregon), who had nine assists and just one turnover vs. NNU, has the No. 1 assists-to-turnovers ratio (2.09) in the league. Kroon is also No. 2 in shooting (.567) and No. 8 in rebounding (7.2). Taylor is No. 3 in assists (4.5) and No. 9 in trey percentage (.371). Wood is fourth in assists (4.2). Michelle Beaumont (Sr., 5-11, Bellingham, Wa./Sehome) is No. 5 in foul shooting (.875).

Coaching Staff. For the second straight year, Gordy Presnell was voted the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s NCAA Division II Coach of the Year for 2004, along with conference and regional coach of the year honors. He has never registered a losing season in 17 years at the helm of the Seattle Pacific University basketball program, including back-to-back perfect records during the regular season the past two years. 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 12 times, including Elite Eight appearances in both 1998 and 2004. Returning to Presnell’s staff for her third season is former University of Oregon player Jamie Craighead, who completed her career in 2002 as Oregon’s leader in three-pointers. During her final season, she started all 35 games, averaging 7.9 points.

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.

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.