Final home stand. With just five games left in the regular season and the Great Northwest Athletic Conference crown still up for grabs, there’s no better place for the Seattle Pacific University women’s basketball team to begin the stretch run than at home. The No. 4-ranked Falcons’ (12-1, 20-2) quest for a third straight GNAC title could be determined over the next three games, all to be played at Brougham Pavilion. SPU hosts Central Washington (7-6, 14-8) on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 19). Next week, Seattle University and Western Washington visit, with the latter matchup likely to prove pivotal in both deciding the league title and regional seedings.

Human after all. Apparently they are human after all. At times over the past couple years, Seattle Pacific has been confused with super heroes. It won 53 consecutive GNAC games over a three-year span. However that impressive string and a streak of 17 consecutive wins overall was snapped by Saint Martin’s, 64-50, last week. It was the first league setback since Feb. 7, 2002, but it was soon forgotten and another streak begun. Coach Gordy Presnell termed the 90-47 rout of Northwest Nazarene two nights later as perhaps his squad’s most impressive performance of the season. That clinched the sixth straight 20-win season and eighth in the past nine years.

But superhuman at home. There are still a few formidable win streaks in play for Seattle Pacific, and they all have to do with playing at home. In the pavilion, the Falcons have won 25 in a row overall, 40 straight GNAC contests, and 54 consecutive regular season games. Central Washington was the last league foe to survive a visit, that being Jan. 18, 2001. During the 25-game home streak the average winning margin has been a healthy 25.2 points.

The race is on. Saint Martin’s made it a three-team race last week, and the Saints visit Western Washington Thursday, with the victor holding second place. The Vikings’ brief stay in the lead with SPU ended when they fell to Humboldt State. The West Region’s top five teams all absorbed one defeat last week, leaving the Falcons at No. 1. There are two games in California this weekend which again involve the top five regional teams. Eight teams from the West will earn postseason berths and the region’s top seed can host the regional tournament beginning March 11.

Smith goes to work. Perhaps she’s not the stuff of highlight reels, but there’s a lot to be said about the way power forward Carli Smith (Jr., 5-11, Spokane, Wa./Valley Christian) continues grind away on the inside, always getting the job done in impressive fashion. In the victory at Northwest Nazarene, Smith matched her career high with 19 points and also grabbed 10 rebounds for her seventh double-double this season, which ranks second in the GNAC. Very much the strong, quiet type, she leads the conference in rebounding (9.7) and is second in field-goal percentage (.544). Over the past 12 games, Smith is averaging 12.8 points and 10.8 rebounds.

Taylor pouring in the points. Point guard Amy Taylor (Sr., 5-8, Shoreline, Wa./Shorewood) continues to be a focal point of the SPU attack. Although primarily a passer, Taylor’s deadeye shooting has been a huge boost to the offense. Taylor has led the team in scoring in the past three games and in five of the last six, including a season-high 21 at NNU. During those six games, she has averaged 15.5 points per outing and has taken over the team lead in scoring average. Taylor currently ranks 12th in the GNAC with 12.8 points per game.

Put-backs. Trailing SPU in this week’s regional rankings are Western Washington, Cal State Dominguez Hills and Chico State, with the latter two teams meeting this weekend...The Falcons came all the way back from a 17-point deficit at Saint Martin’s, tying the game with five minutes left. Strangely, it was errant free-throw shooting (4 of 11 in the second half) which factored in the defeat. In the next game, SPU made 19 of 21 at the foul line...Quinn Brewe (Fr., 6-1, Edmonds, Wa./Meadowdale) scored a career-high 14 points in just 16 minutes at Nampa. She connected on 5 of 7 shots and also pulled down six boards...Jenny Poe (Jr., 5-8, Enumclaw, Wa.) matched her career best with nine rebounds in the win...Jessie Christensen (Fr., 5-9, Enumclaw, Wa.) also established a new personal best with four rebounds, and Autumn Fielding (So., 5-9, Kennewick, Wa.) tied her career mark with three assists...The Falcons out-rebounded opponents 53-33 in the two games last week and shot 40.5 percent while holding SMC and NNU to a combined 29.9 percent...In GNAC individual statistics, Brittney Kroon (Jr., 6-4, Wasilla, Ak.) leads in blocked shots (3.50) and shooting accuracy (.579). Taylor is No. 2 in three-point shooting (.396), seventh in assists (3.73) and ninth in steals (1.77). Mandy Wood (Jr., 5-6, Port Angeles, Wa.) is fifth in assists (3.85) and three-point shooting (.366)...Not only is Seattle Pacific still sitting atop the GNAC standings, the Falcons also lead the league in just about every team statistical category. SPU leads the conference in scoring (79.7), points allowed (57.6), scoring margin (22.1), field-goal percentage (.459), field-goal percentage defense (.346), three-pointers made (7.0), three-point percentage (.373), rebounding (45.0), rebound margin (10.8), assists (20.6), assists-to-turnover ratio (1.15) and blocked shots (5.36). The Falcons are second in three-point percentage defense (.267), free-throw percentage (.774), rebounds allowed (34.1) and steals (10.2). Nationally, SPU ranks No. 3 in rebounding margin, fifth in free-throw percentage, seventh in scoring margin, 12th in scoring and three-point percentage,. Kroon is No. 9 in blocked shots.

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.