Climbing to the top. Boosted by the first back-to-back wins in nearly a month, the Seattle Pacific women’s basketball team could find itself in sole possession of second place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference with another victory this week. The Falcons (3-1, 9-4) complete a three-game home stand by facing Northwest Nazarene (3-1, 7-4) Saturday (Jan. 14). SPU returns to the road again next week, visiting Humboldt State and Western Oregon.

The Brougham factor. After spending seven straight games and more than a month away from Brougham Pavilion, a return home last week was just the tonic to get SPU back on track as a contender for a fourth straight GNAC title and No. 1 seed in the West Region. The Falcons improved to 6-0 at home this season with a 75-64 victory over Saint Martin’s and a 67-54 win over Seattle University. They have won 31 straight games at home and 63 in a row at home during regular season play.

A good run. Despite the two wins, Seattle Pacific was knocked out of the national rankings for the first time in seven years. The Falcons slipped from their precarious position at No. 25 a week ago. During that seven-year stretch, they held the No. 1 spot for a total of nine weeks during the ‘02-03 and ‘03-04 seasons. SPU started the season at No. 8 and got as high as No. 3 in November.

Defense fuels the fire. For an offense that ranks 19th nationally at 77.0 points per game, the Falcons got a big boost from their defense last week. Seattle U.’s 54 points was the lowest by an opponent this season, and 64 for Saint Martin’s was third-lowest. SPU held its two foes to just 33 percent shooting from the field, including 24 percent from three-point range. For the year, opponents are being held to just 38 percent overall accuracy.

Swat team. One reason for those low shooting percentages can be attributed to an imposing interior defense, anchored by center Brittney Kroon (Sr., 6-4, Wasilla, Ak.). Kroon rejected a total of 11 shots in the two games, including eight block in the victory over SU. That should come as no surprise as Kroon owns every school and conference record and led the nation in blocked shots two years ago. Kroon is on track for her second NCAA Division II blocks crown, currently leading the nation at 4.33 per game. Her understudy at center, Kelsey Hill (Fr., 6-2, Portland, Or./Portland Christian), matched her season-high with two blocks against Saint Martin’s.

Autumn-atic. Autumn Fielding (Jr., 5-9, Kennewick, Wa.) was nearly automatic, hitting several big shots for the Falcons last week. She was practically perfect from three-point range, shooting 4-for-5 from, including a 3-for-3 performance against Saint Martin’s in which she matched her career high with 14 points. Fielding has taken over the team lead and ranks fourth in the GNAC with a 52.5 field-goal percentage. She also ranks second in the conference with a 47.1 shooting percentage from behind the arc, and she has increased her scoring average to 8.8 points per game while mostly coming off the bench.

Manning the point. After redshirting her freshman season and serving as backup to GNAC player of the year Amy Taylor at point guard last season, Beth Christensen (5-5, Enumclaw, Wa.) has been waiting for her moment to shine. That time has come, and Christensen is making the most of the opportunity. With a plethora of scorers on the court and on the bench, she has been able to focus on what she does best, running the fast-paced SPU offense. Last week she led the Falcons with 11 assists in the two wins and took over the team lead with a 4.62 average, which currently ranks second in the GNAC. Christensen has started the past six games, logging a team-high 29.8 minutes per contest. She is averaging 5.3 assists, 1.3 steals and a 1.52 assist-to-turnover ratio during that time. Christensen also leads SPU in steals (1.69).

Put-backs. The first NCAA regional rankings will be issued Jan. 25. The top eight teams in the region receive postseason berths, with the No. 1 seed serving as host for the regional tournament...Carli Grant (Sr., 5-11, Spokane, Wa./Valley Christian) had 20 points and a team-high 19 rebounds in SPU’s two victories. She now ranks second all-time at SPU with 911 career rebounds. Grant is just 41 shy of the conference record and 214 shy of the school record. She is on pace to become the second SPU player to amass 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in her career...Jenny Poe (Sr., 5-8, Enumclaw, Wa.) led SPU with 23 points in the wins and also grabbed 12 rebounds...Jessie Menkens (Jr., 5-10, Battle Ground, Wa./Prairie) connected on a combined 4-of-10 three pointers last week, matching her career best with a pair of treys in each game. She also equaled her career high with three assists against Saint Martin’s...Fellow transfer Jackie Hollands (So., 5-9, Oregon City, Or.) grabbed a career-high six rebounds and matched career bests in assists (3) and three pointers (2) last week...Mandy Wood (Sr., 5-6, Port Angeles, Wa.) ranks third in the conference in assists (4.46); seventh in scoring (14.2), and three-pointers made (1.77)...Grant ranks second in rebounding (8.8) and fifth in shooting percentage (.525)...Seattle Pacific is second in the conference and 19th nationally in scoring (77.0). The Falcons are 15th in shooting percentage (.462). SPU leads the conference in assists (22.15) and blocks (5.15)...Wood is 32 treys away from the GNAC career mark of 210...Grant leads the conference with five double-doubles...Kroon’s 352 career blocks is No. 6 on the NCAA career list.

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.