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And then there was one. Perhaps to the surprise of some, one women’s basketball team is threatening to separate from the pack in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Having committed last month’s problems to history, Seattle Pacific University is surging toward the halfway point in the league schedule, winning five in a row and seven of the last eight. The GNAC race could pivot on the outcome of the Falcons’ (5-0, 11-4) next game, as they visit second-place Western Washington (4-2, 12-4) Wednesday night (Jan. 24). The final non-conference game for SPU is at home Saturday afternoon (Jan. 27) when it hosts Utah’s Dixie State (10-7). That begins a three-game home stand which continues with Homecoming Week encounters with Northwest Nazarene and Seattle University.

Building a gap. Four of the first five GNAC games have been at home in Brougham Pavilion and the Falcons have parlayed that advantage into a lead of two games in the loss column over Western and three others. Following a pair of double-digit victories last week, they have now won 64 of their last 66 home conference games. While maintaining a perfect league record, SPU also gained some ground on the competition as Western Oregon shocked Western Washington. The Vikings are now tied with Seattle University in second. Seattle Pacific is outscoring opponents by nearly 14.8 points per game in GNAC games, with the offense generating 8.3 more points per game in January.

Just before the tip. Prior to tip-off in Bellingham, both teams will learn of their position in the initial NCAA regional rankings. Chico State, ranked No. 6 in this week’s national coaches poll, is expected to get the No. 1 spot in the West. SPU should be somewhere among the top eight. Of the Falcons’ four losses, two were to teams in the Division II top six (No. 1 North Dakota and Chico) and another was to Div. I Gonzaga, currently tied for first in the West Coast Conference. Among those beaten by Seattle Pacific are No. 23 UC San Diego and Azusa Pacific, the No. 16 team in NAIA.

She can't miss. These days, every time Rachel Strand (Sr., 6-0, Shoreline, Wa./King’s) puts up a shot, it seems destined to swish through the cylinder for another basket. Strand tallied a total of 28 points on 12-for-19 shooting in last week’s victories over Alaska Fairbanks (85-73) and Alaska Anchorage (68-52), including a career-high 18 points in the latter. She also grabbed seven rebounds in each game and blocked four shots against Fairbanks. In conference play, Strand is averaging 13.0 points per game and shooting 66 percent from the field, tops in the league. She is also hitting 91 percent from the free-throw line and averaging 8.2 rebounds.

Getting the nod. For the first dozen games, Jackie Hollands (Jr., 5-9, Oregon City, Or.) led a potent Seattle Pacific bench, averaging nearly 10 points a game as a reserve. It was a successful formula, yet Coach Julie van Beek opted to tweak it. She inserted Hollands into the starting five three games ago and things have only gotten better. The bench has outscored it counterparts in 14 of 15 games and Hollands, as a starter, is averaging 15.3 points and 5.3 assists per contest. She struck for a career-best 21 points against Fairbanks, nailing three straight three-pointers early in the second half to turn a five-point lead into an 11-point cushion and help SPU pull away. After missing 13 games last season, including the NCAA tournament, due to knee injuries, Hollands is now playing with more confidence than ever. In the last three outings she has hit 10 of 19 three-pointers, including 5-7 versus Alaska Anchorage. In conference play this year, Hollands ranks 10th in scoring (13.2), third in assists (3.8), fifth in three-point accuracy (.444) and seventh in shooting percentage (.500).

Put-backs. Seattle Pacific’s bench production continues to show its depth. In the victory over Fairbanks, Jessie Christensen (Jr., 5-9, Enumclaw, Wa.) knocked down 5-of-7 shots for a career-high 13 points in just 15 minutes off the bench. She also hauled in a total of eight rebounds in the two wins…The Falcons shot 52 percent against Fairbanks, their second-best performance of the season. In conference game, SPU has raised its shooting percentage to a GNAC-best 45 percent (compared to 38 percent in nonconference contests)…The Falcons are sixth in the league in scoring (67.9), but lead the league with 73.4 points per game in GNAC play. They are ninth in three-point accuracy (.292) for the season despite making 21 of 57 (.37 percent) in the last three games. In conference games, SPU also leads the league in rebounding (plus-8.8) and is second in scoring defense (58.6)...Kelsey Hill (So., 6-2, Portland Or./Portland Christian) accumulated for 21 points and 22 rebounds last week, including 12 points and 12 rebounds against Alaska Anchorage for her fourth double-double of the season. She leads the Falcons in both scoring (10.4, 16th in the GNAC) and rebounding (7.9, 3rd in the GNAC). Hill is also seventh in the conference in shooting percentage (.484) and 10th in accuracy from the free-throw line (.795). In conference play, Hill is averaging 10.0 rebounds per game, and is shooting 59.5 percent, which rank second and third, respectively...Beth Christensen (Jr., 5-5, Enumclaw, Wa.) leads the GNAC in assists (4.6) and Autumn Fielding (Sr., 5-9, Kennewick, Wa.) is fifth in three-point percentage (.388)...Stats are now available for all home games at the Falcons Online (www.spu.edu/falconsonline).

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.