Home sweet Brougham. For the first time in nearly five weeks, Seattle Pacific University is playing a women’s basketball game at home. Proven to be human on the road, the 25th-ranked Falcons (1-1, 7-4) have remained perfect at Brougham Pavilion for two-plus seasons and they’d like to keep it that way in a couple Great Northwest Athletic Conference contests. SPU hosts Saint Martin’s (0-1 , 4-6) Thursday night (Jan. 5) and crosstown rival Seattle University (1-0, 6-3) Saturday afternoon (Jan. 7). The three-game home stand concludes Jan. 14 against Northwest Nazarene.

61 & counting. Travel and tough opposition can take its toll, even on the proudest programs. After a perfect 4-0 start at home, the two-time defending regional champion was walking tall going into a seven-game road trip. Now, after going 3-4 over that span, the Falcons begin the New Year with the aspirations of reasserting themselves as the team to beat in the West Region. And there’s no place like home to do it. They have won 61 straight regular season home games and 29 straight at home overall.

Roller coaster ride continues. Seattle Pacific started GNAC play with an 80-67 victory at Central Washington, but was tripped by now-No. 9 Western Washington on New Year’s Eve, 82-71. While most teams would be satisfied with a 3-4 road trip that included a trio of nationally-ranked opponents, this SPU squad just isn’t accustomed to that type of satisfaction. In fact, in the previous three seasons, the Falcons have lost a total of just five games, and only two during regular season play. Of the four defeats, three were to current top 25 teams by an average margin of 7.3 points.

Consistent 40. First year coach Julie van Beek and her squad can see the bright side of December. The Falcons have proven dominant in certain stretches of key games, but have yet to sustain that level for the full 40 minutes. Even in the loss at Western, Seattle Pacific outscored the Vikings 22-5 over an eight-minute stretch late in the game to get back within striking distance. However, after shooting just 29 percent in the first half and missing four of their first five shots to start the second, the Falcons buried themselves in a 26-point hole which, in the end, proved to be too deep.

Role players. The Falcons are still in process of developing the depth that has been so vital over the past three seasons. An encouraging sign last week was that nine players scored at least 12 points in the two games. In the victory at Central Washington, Jackie Hollands (So., 5-9, Oregon City, Or.) sparked the offense early, scoring all 10 of her points in the first half. Rachel Strand (Jr., 6-0, Shoreline, Wa./King’s) scored eight points and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds at Western Washington. The Falcons got a combined 53 points from their bench, compared to 37 combined for the Central and Western reserves.

Taste of their own medicine. Opponents have had recent success against the Falcons by beating them at their own game. SPU has enjoyed large advantages at the foul line and from behind the three-point arc over the past few years. That remained the case in the first four games. But over the past seven games, SPU is shooting just 27 percent from three-point range and 64 percent from the free-throw line. The Falcons also averaged of 21 turnovers. At same time, opponents are shooting 36 percent from long range and 69 percent from the foul line, and have made five more treys and 25 more free throws.

For the record. Guard Mandy Wood (Sr., 5-6, Port Angeles, Wa.) again paced the offense with a combined 28 points last week. She has amassed 1,033 career points and needs just 153 more to move into the all-time top 10. Wood currently holds the record for career three-point percentage (.408) and needs just 19 more three treys to own that mark. Carli Grant (Sr., 5-11, Spokane, Wa./Valley Christian) is also making a run for the record books. With 919 points and 891 rebounds, she is on pace to become just the second player in the team’s history to reach 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career. Grant needs just 16 more rebounds to become No. 2 all-time and 234 for the record. She currently ranks second all-time in career free-throw percentage (.811) and sixth in career field-goal percentage (.525).

Put-backs. The last time SPU started 7-4 was the 1994-95 season, and that squad advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament...Only two players–Wood and Grant– have started each game. In last three games, van Beek has used three different starting fives...The Falcons dropped 11 places to No. 25 in this week’s national coaches poll...Autumn Fielding (Jr., 5-9, Kennewick, Wa.) kept her hot streak alive with a combined 20 points on 57 percent shooting in the split last week. She scored 13 in the victory over Central Washington...Kelsey Hill (Fr., 6-2, Portland, Or./Portland Christian) scored 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the win, her second start of the season...The Falcons were whistled for 41 fouls, opponents just 28, in the two road games. That resulted in a 39-26 advantage in free-throw attempts for CWU and WWU, including a 28-15 advantage for the host Vikings on Saturday...Wood ranks fifth in the GNAC scoring (15.3) and three-pointers made (2.09), second in assists (4.45), eighth in field-goal percentage (.504) and ninth in steals (1.91)...Grant ranks third in rebounding (8.6) and fifth in field-goal percentage (.527)...Brittney Kroon (Sr., 6-4, Wasilla, Ak.) leads the GNAC with 4.1 blocks per game and ranks eighth in rebounding (7.0)...SPU leads first in assists (22.2) and is No. 2 in scoring (78.1), shooting percentage (.466) and rebounding (40.7). It is third in blocks (4.45); and fourth in three-pointers made (5.27).

Coaching Staff. Julie van Beek is in her first year as the Falcons’ head coach after building Nashville’s Trevecca Nazarene into an NAIA national power. After starting the program from scratch, van Beek’s last six squads reached the playoffs, including a national quarterfinal appearance in 2005. In nine years at the helm her record was 162-119. She is a native of Nampa, Id., and played at Northwest Nazarene. Michelle Skyles is the top assistant, having moved from a similar position at Eastern Washington. Skyles coached Jerome to the Idaho state 4A title in 2004. Sasha Anderson joins the staff following five years as head coach at Snohomish County Christian.

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 is $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.