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Travels continue. Another week and another couple road games for the leaders of the pack, Seattle Pacific University. Atop the Great Northwest Athletic Conference women’s basketball standings since the outset, the Falcons (8-2, 15-6) have seen their lead shrink to the slimmest of margins before heading north to the 49th state. A winner in nine of the last 11 outings, SPU tries to be the first visitor this season to win at Alaska Anchorage (7-4, 18-4) Thursday night (Feb. 15) in a game that could weigh heavily on the league standings and regional rankings. On Saturday afternoon (Feb. 17) the trip concludes at Alaska Fairbanks (4-7, 9-13). The final home games are next week, against Western Oregon and Western Washington.

GNAC race tightens. With six of the league’s nine teams above the .500 mark, the Falcons expected some tough challenges down the stretch, and the fact that six of the final eight games are on the road only makes matters more difficult. Western Washington, which comes to Brougham Pavilion Feb. 24, is a half-game back, just ahead of Anchorage and Seattle U. SPU is aiming to reclaim the title from the Vikings after winning three in a row previously.

Next in line. Despite its 80-70 loss at Central Washington, Seattle Pacific stayed at No. 3 in this week’s West Region rankings for NCAA Division II. UC San Diego and Chico State remain 1-2. Alaska Anchorage has moved up to No. 4, followed by Western, Cal State San Bernardino, Humboldt State and Sonoma State. Regional rankings determine the seeding and at-large berths in next month’s NCAA tournament. Both the GNAC and CCAA champions get automatic berths.

Buzzer beater. Sometimes a game and, in fact, a season can come down to a single shot. The Falcons made theirs. It came off the hands of an unlikely shooter, given the situation. Point guard Beth Christensen (Jr., 5-5, Enumclaw, Wa.) is known more for her leadership, dogged defense and distribution abilities than her scoring, averaging just 5.5 points per game. But Christensen came up with nine beans in the 68-66 victory at Saint Martin’s, including the game-winning three-pointer as time expired. It was only her 10th trey of the year and it was the first time a game was decided by the final shot since Kristin Poe’s jumper with 9 seconds to go beat Cal Poly Pomona in ‘03-04.

Autumn heating up. Winter hit the Seattle area pretty hard this year, but Autumn Fielding (Sr., 5-9, Kennewick, Wa.) has been heating up as of late. Last week Fielding totaled for 33 points on 13 of 23 shooting. She netted a season-high 19 points in the dramatic win over Saint Martin’s, and is averaging 12.6 points over the past five games. Fielding, who is scoring 9.8 for the season and 10.3 in GNAC games, is shooting 41 percent (31-75) from three-point range, good for fourth in the conference.

Defense the difference. While winning nine of 10 games to start the New Year, the Falcons allowed opponents to shoot only 40 percent and average 59.6 points. That’s why Coach Julie van Beek may classify what happened in Ellensburg as an aberration. The Wildcats, after losing four in a row while not shooting above 38 percent, suddenly couldn’t miss. They were 9 of 18 on threes and 25 for 29 from the foul line. It was the first time SPU had allowed 80 points in 40 games.

Sock it to ‘em. A week after dominating inside to the tune of a 78-40 scoring advantage in the paint, the Falcons found the interior less inviting on the road. They managed a combined 42 points against Central and Saint Martin’s, with center Kelsey Hill (So., 6-2, Portland, Or./Portland Christian) accounting for 20 points and 19 rebounds. Hill is the team’s top scorer (11.4) on the season. Rachel Strand (Sr., 6-0, Shoreline, Wa./King’s), who also does a lot of heavy lifting underneath, is the GNAC’s top percentage shooter (.572), but was only able to launch 11 shots (making seven) last week. Central out-rebounded SPU 41-26.

Put-backs. Seattle Pacific rates No. 4 nationally in assists per game (19.5), with passes leading to 76 percent of the baskets...SPU has not lost two consecutive conference games since entering the GNAC in ‘01-02...The Saint Martin’s game was just the fifth time the Falcons have won by less than 10 points...Christensen leads the league at 4.9 assists per game and is 11th all-time in the GNAC with 295 for her career…Hill has five double-digit rebounding performances and averaged 9.1 in the past 11 games. She is third in the league with 8.0 boards per game. She is also 14th in the conference in scoring (11.4) and fifth in field-goal percentage (.500)…Jackie Hollands (Jr., 5-9, Oregon City, Or.) netted 22 points last week, 11 in each game…Jessie Christensen (Jr., 5-9, Enumclaw, Wa.) had 11 points, connecting on 9 of 12 free throws, and five rebounds at Central Washington…Strand is ninth in league rebounding (6.5) and fourth in blocked shots (1.0)...The Falcons are No. 2 in conference foul shooting (.755), field-goal percentage (.420) and turnover margin (+4.8) but eighth in rebounding (-0.6). The tem has hit 44.6 percent from the field in conference games...Reserve center Lexi Schaar (So., 6-4, Crookston, Mn.) undergoes knee surgery this week. She played in the first five games before sustaining the injury. Earlier in the preseason, van Beek lost another center, Melissa Reich (Fr., 6-2, Bothell, Wa./Bellevue Christian), to a season-ending injury. Lisa Cannon (Fr., 6-0, Lewiston, Id.) is out indefinitely with a leg injury...The Feb. 24 Senior Night doubleheader will be streamed live on the Internet by CSTV. The women play Western Washington at 5 p.m., followed by the men and Alaska Anchorage at approximately 7. Fans can access the games at no charge at www.NCAAsports.com/DII.

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.