Let’s roll. Buoyed by one of the more unlikely comebacks in recent memory, Seattle Pacific University arrives home for its final two regular season games at Brougham Pavilion with a mind toward sealing the deal on an NCAA men’s basketball tournament berth and climbing back into first place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. The 21st-ranked Falcons (10-4, 18-6), who have 11 straight at home, can do both by holding serve Thursday night (Feb. 24) against Humboldt State (6-8, 14-9) and Saturday night (Feb. 26) versus Western Oregon (9-5, 15-8). The final two regular season contests are next week at Northwest Nazarene and Seattle University.

A dog fight. It’s entirely possible a three-headed monster could sit atop the GNAC standings at the end of the week, and picking the eventual top seed in the West Region could prove just as scary. Alaska Fairbanks, with wins over Seattle Pacific and Western Washington, leapfrogged from third to first place, one-half game ahead of the Falcons and Vikings. Western Oregon is close behind, with the Fairbanks playing its final three games on the road. And while Hawaii Hilo, the current regional No. 1, sat idle, the rest of the West closed ground on the leaders last week. Two more victories would give SPU 20, and no 20-win team in the region has been denied a postseason berth since the Division II bracket expanded from 32 teams in 1994. Eight teams from the West will earn postseason berths and the region’s top seed can host the regional Mar. 11-14.

The turning point? Sometimes a second chance is all that’s needed. The Falcons got theirs in Alaska and now need to make the most of it. In a most improbable turn of events, they came from seven points down in the final two minutes of regulation and from five points behind in the first over time to edge Alaska Anchorage 117-112 in double overtime. Coach Jeff Hironaka pulled out all the stops, inserting some deep reserves to stem the tide near the end of the first half. Later, his bench came to the fore once more. Jeff Knudson (Jr., 6-7, Mukilteo, Wa./Kamiak) stroked a long, vital three-pointer and Ralph Steele (Sr., 6-2, No. Birmingham, Al./Huffman-Citrus JC) sank six free throws in the final five-minute frame.

Jump-starting Jordan. He’s back, and just in time. Jordan Lee (Sr., 6-1, Tacoma, Wa./Life Christian) pulled off a Lazarus-like awakening in Alaska, looking like his old self from the first two months of the season in totaling 40 points while hitting 15 of 25 field goals in the two games. Lee calmly drilled 3-pointer in final 16 seconds of regulation to send the game to overtime, and sank another tying two-point jumper with 39 seconds to go in the first extra period. He finished with 19 points and five assists. In the 72-64 loss at Fairbanks, he kept SPU in contention with 21 points–his highest total in 11 outings. He had just 20 points in the previous three games.

Believe in JC. As solid as the supporting cast can be, nobody can carry the Falcons further than Jason Chivers (Sr., 6-8, Los Angeles, Ca./Highland-L.A. Trade Tech). And the broad-shouldered center carried a significant load in the late going at Anchorage. Despite sitting on the bench for six minutes with four fouls, Chivers scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half of regulation and first overtime, powering inside to convert 8 of 9 field goals. Short shots but huge nonetheless. Four points came in the final 2:13 of regulation and six came in the first overtime, including the layup which extended the game another five minutes. Chivers, Lee and Steele will be honored prior to Saturday’s tip-off for Senior Night.

Hindsight is 20-20. It’s a good thing that college games consist of 40 minutes. If it was just 20, this SPU squad would be in serious trouble. The Falcons have out-scored the opposition in the second half of 15 consecutive games and by an average margin of 10.3 points. In all six losses this season, they have been behind by at least five at halftime with the average margin 14.7 points. SPU has been out-rebounded by an average of 8.5 in those first halves.

Put-backs. Tony Binetti (Jr., 6-1, Enumclaw, Wa.) had his ruin of 13 straight games scoring in double figures snapped at Fairbanks, but bounced back at UAA with a team-high 21. Fifteen came after halftime, including three in the final minute of regulation and the go-ahead layup to start the second overtime...The loss at Fairbanks marked the first consecutive defeats this season...At UAA, Knudson hit 3 of 5 threes and had a season-high 11 points and two offensive rebounds...Steele made all 11 of his free throws for the second time this season, again matching the second-best foul line exhibition all-time. His 15 points was his best total since December...Austin Yuen (So., 5-8, Mercer Island, Wa.), with four points, figured in a late first-half run to slice a 12-point UAA lead to four...Drew Matzen (So., 6-4, Bothell, Wa./Lynnwood) added seven points and three boards at UAA...Chivers had a season-low four rebounds at UAF...SPU is now 11-1 when scoring at least 80 points. When opponents score more than 80 the record is 2-4...In the last nine games the Falcons have shot 81.4 percent (158-194) at the foul line...Seattle Pacific has made over 50 percent of its field goals in 15 of its 18 wins this season and is 25-4 when doing so over the past two seasons...The Falcons are No. 1 in the conference and No. 6 nationally in field-goal percentage (.508). They also lead the league and are 18th nationally in free throw accuracy (.751) and defensive three-point percentage (.309). They are No. 2 in defensive overall field goal percentage (.434), three-point shooting (.391) and offense (84.1). They are No. 3 in scoring margin (+6.9). Individually, Binetti leads the conference in three-point shooting (.522, 36 of 69). He is also No. 4 in overall field-goal percentage (.589), No. 5 in assists (4.4) and No. 9 in steals (1.48)...Steele took over the league lead in free throw shooting (.922). Dustin Bremerman (So., 6-4, Yakima, Wa./Eisenhower) is No. 2 (.889) and No. 4 in the NCAA...Chivers is No. 2 in rebounding (9.9, 17th nationally), No. 4 in blocks (1.08) and No. 6 in shooting (.580) and No. 7 in scoring (16.0)...Lee is seventh in three-point accuracy (.459).

Coaching Staff. In his first season Jeff Hironaka won more games (16) than all but one other first-year SPU coach. A former aide at Idaho State and The Master’s, Hironaka became Ken Bone’s top assistant in 1991 and from there the Falcons won 236 of 253 games, claimed five outright or shared conference championships and qualified for the NCAA tournament eight times, including a Final Four advancement in 2000. Hironaka is the second Japanese-American head coach of a four-year collegiate program. Brock Veltri is Hironaka’s chief assistant. Veltri spent two years in a similar position with Scottsdale Community College in Arizona. A former Idaho State graduate assistant, he played two years at Peninsula College in Port Angeles, Wa. Scott Reid, a King Co coach of the year at Bellevue’s Newport High School, is in his second season and George Parker, who first served as a volunteer assistant in 1986, returns for his 16th year.

Tickets, please. Reserved tickets for all SPU home games are priced $7 and $6. General admission is $5 with youth, students and senior citizens $3 with proper identification. Groups can qualify for discounts 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.