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League play begins. They’ve faced some of the best competition in the region and nation–and the season’s not even at the halfway point. Now the Seattle Pacific University women’s basketball team will get an up-close look at its competition in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. The Falcons (6-4) begin league play this week, playing both at home and on the road in the new unbalanced schedule. SPU opens Thursday night (Jan. 4) by hosting a sizzling Central Washington (9-1), then travels south to Western Oregon (1-10) Saturday (Jan. 6). Next week’s only game is Jan. 13, at home against Saint Martin’s.

Sizing up the GNAC. If the early season has been any indication, it could be a wild year in the GNAC, with perhaps the most parity ever. Western Washington was selected as the preseason favorite by the coaches, with both Central and Seattle Pacific receiving first-place votes. All three have been ranked among the top 25 in NCAA Division II at some point this season. Additionally, Alaska Anchorage, picked to finish fifth, is off to a perfect 11-0 start, and six of the league’s nine teams are above the .500 mark.

No place like home. With road victories in the GNAC always a challenge, defending the home court is a top priority. The Falcons have proven most formidable at Brougham Pavilion over the years, winning 60 of 62 home conference games over the last seven seasons. Thirty of those were by margins of 20 or more points. Prior to last week’s loss to No. 4 North Dakota (72-58), Seattle Pacific had not lost a non-conference home game since 2002 and its last regular season home conference loss was in 1997-98.

Mental toughness. The Falcons have been particularly strong in the second half this season, coming up with tough defensive stops and hitting clutch baskets down the stretch. Greater consistency in the first 20 minutes could be the key to future success. Seattle Pacific is 6-0 when leading at halftime and 0-4 when trailing at the break. In two of their four losses, they outscored their opponents in the second half, but have trailed by an average of 10 points at the intermission. Coach Julie van Beek knows her team cannot afford a sluggish start against Central Washington, which has outscored teams by 12.4 in first halves.

Unselfish birds. The Falcons continue to spread the shots around and cause fits for opposing defensive assignments by finding a new go-to player seemingly with each game. None of the players is averaging more than 10 points and six have been the top scorer at least once. In a pair of key in-region victories in Las Vegas before Christmas, it was Autumn Fielding (Sr., 5-9, Kennewick, Wa.) who provided the lift. Fielding scored 32 points and shot 9 of 16 from the field, including 5 of 8 three-pointers. That earned Fielding all-tournament and GNAC player of the week honors. She scored 15 in a 70-60 victory over UC San Diego and and had 17 the following day in a 64-47 defeat of Cal Poly Pomona.

And then there was one? Coming into the campaign, van Beek believed her depth at the post position was one of the team’s strengths. Now it’s all but diminished. Kelsey Hill (So., 6-2, Portland, Or./Portland Christian), the starter at center, leads SPU in scoring (9.7), rebounding (6.9) and blocks (0.7), and she may soon do so in minutes played. Following an encouraging start, her backup, Lexi Schaar (So., 6-4, Crookston, Mn.) has missed the last five games with a knee injury. Schaar had averaged 7.0 points in the first five outings. One of the top recruits, Melissa Reich (Fr., 6-2, Bothell, Wa./Bellevue Christian), was ruled out for the season nearly two months ago after tearing her ACL.

Put-backs. Seattle Pacific dropped out of the national top 25 during the holidays. Central Washington begins the week on the verge of a place in the poll. Two of the three Div. II losses have been to top-10 teams. Division I-bound North Dakota is No. 2 and Chico is ninth this week...Van Beek is now No. 3 in all-time coaching wins at Seattle Pacific. Her 30 trails only Gordy Presnell (396) and Nels Hawkinson (57)...Since committing 29 turnovers in the loss to Chico State Dec. 9, SPU has had only 44 in the last three games...The Falcons forced 25 turnovers and committed just 11 in the loss to North Dakota, but were out-rebounded 49-23 and shot just 30.8 percent. Eight opponents have comitted at least 20 turnovers…SPU had four players score in double figures, for the first time this season, in the win over UCSD. Along with Fielding, Libby Magnuson (Jr., 5-10, White Bear Lake, Mn.), Jessie Menkens (Sr., 5-10, Battle Ground, Wa./Prairie) and Rachel Strand (Sr., 6-0, Shoreline, Wa./King’s) all added 10 points. Strand also grabbed nine rebounds…Hill had 11 points and five rebounds against Cal Poly and 11 points, seven rebounds and two blocks against North Dakota. She is seventh in GNAC rebounding...Beth Christensen (Jr., 5-5, Enumclaw, Wa.) leads the conference in assists (4.3). She had seven and only two turnovers vs. UND... Fielding is sixth in three-point accuracy (.364). The team leads the league in foul shooting (.754) but is eighth in field-goal percentage (.375) and rebounding (-5.1)... Jessie Menkens (Sr., 5-10, Battle Ground, Wa./Prairie) contributed eight points and four steals vs. North Dakota and Daesha Henderson (Fr., 5-8, Snohomish, Wa.) had nine points. With six non-conference games remaining, GNAC teams have a cumulative 56-37 record (.602) against outside competition, including 40-29 (.580) against Div. II opponents and 30-15 (.667) in the West Region.

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.