THE SCHEDULE:         Thursday, Jan. 14: Saint Martin's at SPU, 7 p.m.
                                       Brougham Pavilion/Seattle, Wash.
                                       Live Webcast and live stats on this link.

                                      Saturday, Jan. 16: SPU at NW Nazarene, noon PST
                                      Johnson Sports Center/Nampa, Idaho
                                      Live Webcast and live stats on this link.

      
       Weekly release, with complete stats and opponent starters (PDF) 

SEATTLE -- Not only was it a win, it came on the road.

For the Seattle Pacific Falcons, that's called getting their Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball schedule off to a good start.

Now, with last Saturday's 75-62 victory at Western Oregon officially in the books, the Falcons will get into their two-games-a-week GNAC routine as they play host to Saint Martin's on Thursday at 7 p.m. in Brougham Pavilion, then head to Nampa, Idaho, to face conference contender Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

The race for the GNAC championship figured to be a slug-it-out battle from beginning to end, and it already has taken that shape through just the first two nights of play. While the Falcons took care of business in Oregon last Saturday, they already are one of just three teams with spotless conference records.

Preseason favorite Alaska Anchorage was routed on Saturday at Western Washington, 78-58. Northwest Nazarene, one of the four teams receiving first-place votes in the preseason coaches' poll (SPU, Anchorage and Western Washington were the others) dropped its opener at Western Oregon last Thursday, 67-61.

Following Thursday's GNAC home opener -- Seattle Pacific's first game in Brougham since a 92-48 nonconference rout of  Concordia-Portland on Dec. 12 -- the trip to Northwest Nazarene will start a stretch of three games in the next four that will be against the title contenders. The Falcons visit Western Washington on Jan. 23, then play host to Anchorage on Jan. 28.

SPEAKING OF THE FALCONS
Coaches like to say that the best teams play the way they practice -- and that certainly was the case for SPU last Saturday at Western Oregon, a game they went into having had eight days since their previous contest to fine-tune a few things.

“As much as you learn from games, we needed to come back and practice and focus on little things,” coach Julie van Beek said. “We had three goals. We had to get higher percentage shots, and we did that. We had to work on stopping penetration. And we had to find ways to lower our turnovers and really focus on taking care of the ball.”

The Falcons accomplished all three. The challenge now is to keep it going, because it already has become quite clear that the conference schedule isn't going to offer any breathers.

“Saint Martin's is better than their (6-7, 0-2 GNAC) record,” van Beek said. “They've lost some close games. We have to be ready for them. They have some smart players who come from winning programs. They can shoot, and sometimes, we just have some match-up troubles against them.”

At Northwest Nazarene, one of the biggest challenges is just playing in a gym where the home team's fans are loud and supportive.

“NNU and Anchorage are two of the hardest places to play,” van Beek said. “Having been in the tournament at Northwest Nazarene in December, we saw them play, and that's always very motivating. They looked outstanding in those first games we saw them play in Idaho.”

SCOUTING SAINT MARTIN'S (6-7, 0-2 GNAC)
All-time series: SPU leads, 43-11. Current series streak: SPU won 10. Last time: SPU 65, Saint Martin's 48 (March 5, 2009 at Lacey). Saint Martin's on the Web.
Saints in a nutshell: Saint Martin's had a solid run through early December, winning four straight and five out of six, but will come to Brougham on a four-game losing streak. That includes the first two conference games, as the Saints lost their opener last Thursday at Montana State Billings, 72-67, then fell at home to Northwest Nazarene last Saturday, 77-65. Saint Martin's had a nine-point lead at Billings late in the first half before falling behind, then hung right with Northwest Nazarene most of the way on Saturday. Dara Zack, a 5-foot-10 junior forward, can do it all for the Saints, as she leads the team in scoring (17.6), rebounding (9.0) and shooting (.503). Senior guard Jamey Gelhar set an NCAA all-divisions record by making 78 straight free throws last year. So far this season, she has hit 27 of 34 (.794). Saint Martin's is the top 3-point shooting team in the GNAC and is No. 4 in Division II at 41.3 percent.

SCOUTING NORTHWEST NAZARENE (11-2, 1-1 GNAC)
All-time series: SPU leads, 20-2. Current series streak: SPU won 4. Last time: SPU 72, Northwest Nazarene 68 (March 7, 2009 at Nampa, Idaho). Northwest Nazarene on the Web.
Crusaders in a nutshell: The Crusaders have come close to climbing into the national top 25, getting as high as 27th last week before dropping their conference opener at Western Oregon. Even with that, this is a legitimate conference contender. The Crusaders went 7-1 against West Region teams in nonconference play, including victories against 2009 NCAA qualifiers Grand Canyon (73-66) and Humboldt State (80-66). Northwest Nazarene returns three all-conference honorable mention players in senior post player Kristin Hein, senior forward Brittney Roggenkamp, and senior guard Lindsay Brady. Hein leads the team in scoring (12.4), rebounding (7.8) and shooting (.516). Brady is next in scoring (11.1). NNU can shoot the ball from everywhere, ranking No. 1 in the conference at the foul line (.798), No. 2 from the field (.459) and No. 3 from downtown (.370).

MOST RECENT SPU STARTERS
Jan. 9 at Western Oregon, W 75-62
Totals vs. Western Oregon/Season averages or totals
FG is previous game/season percentage
Player                                   Pts.        Reb.        Ast.        Stl.        Blk.      FG
F Megan Hoisington         16/10.5   6/9.1       2/2.3       2/20     0/14     6-8/.412
C Melissa Reich                  4/7.8     5/6.9       2/1.3       0/21     0/9        2-4/.559
G Jordan Harazin                5/6.8     1/3.5       3/2.5       1/14      0/0       1-6/.433
G Daesha Henderson     17/14.3   1/3.4       1/3.0       5/33     1/6        7-10/.517
G Maddie Maloney              5/6.3      3/2.8       4/3.3      1/22      0/2        0-5/.351
SEATTLE PACIFIC            75/71.0  30/42.8  15/18.6   12/160  2/43     28-53/.425

HOW DO THEY COMPARE?
(GNAC ranking in parentheses)
Points                   SPU  71.0 (4)     StM   66.3 (6)    NNU 75.4 (3)
Points allowed   SPU  57.4 (2)     StM   64.5 (7)    NNU 58.8 (4)
Rebounds            SPU  42.8 (2)     StM   39.2 (4)    NNU 38.5 (5)
Assists                 SPU  18.6 (1)     StM   13.5 (7)    NNU 15.2 (6)
Steals                   SPU  13.3 (2)     StM     7.8 (8)     NNU 11.8 (3)
Blocks                  SPU   3.6 (2)       StM    1.8 (7)     NNU  2.8 (4)
Turnovers            SPU  21.6 (8)     StM    20.2 (6)   NNU 18.0 (2)
FG pct.                   SPU  .425 (4)     StM   .406 (6)    NNU .459 (2)
3-point pct.          SPU  .321 (6)     StM    .413 (1)    NNU .370 (3)
FT pct.                   SPU  .637 (9)     StM   .777 (3)    NNU .798 (1)

POLLING PLACE
Seattle Pacific is at No. 21 in the latest USA Today/ESPN Division II coaches poll, which was released on Jan. 5. That's a jump of one spot from last week's poll. The Falcons received 152 points in the voting. The top five spots remained the same, with Franklin Pierce of New Hampshire staying at No. 1, picking up 23 of the 28 first place votes and 690 points.

Alaska Anchorage is No. 12, a fall of four places after last Saturday's 78-58 loss at Western Washington. UC San Diego, now 12-0 rose two places to No. 7.

The next poll will be released Jan. 19. The first West Regional rankings, which ultimately determine the qualifiers for the NCAA tournament, are due out Jan. 27.

GNAC UP FOR GRABS
The Falcons have been picked for a second-place finish in what is shaping up as a tight, four-team-race in the GNAC.

Four of the conference's nine teams -- including SPU -- received at least two first-place votes in the preseason coaches poll. The numbers ultimately added up for Alaska Anchorage -- but not by much. The Seawolves, who shared the GNAC crown with SPU last winter at 14-2 and went 31-4 overall, picked up three of those first-place votes and a total of 72 points.

The Falcons (23-5 overall), coming off that co-championship and their second straight trip to the NCAA West Region title game, are right on Anchorage's heels with two first-place votes and 69 points.

There's not much breathing room behind SPU, either. Northwest Nazarene is third in the poll, also garnering a pair of first-place picks and a total of 65 points. Western Washington also picked up two firsts and came in with 64 points.

FALCON REPLAY

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The Falcons have never lost in nine conference openers and beat Wolves for the 25th straight time. WOU won the first two games of the series back in the 1981-82 season, but Seattle Pacific has prevailed ever since.

Senior guard Henderson (Snohomish, Wash./Snohomish HS) hit 7 of 10 from the floor, including 2 of 3 from downtown. Senior forward Megan Hoisington (Bremerton, Wash/Central Kitsap HS) added 16 points, just one short of her season and career high, and pulled down six rebounds. Reserve senior forward Sydney Benson (Snohomish, Wash./Snohomish HS) chipped in nine points and six rebounds.

ON THE HONOR ROLL
-- Senior forward Megan Hoisington was named to the all-tournament team at the Triton Holiday Classic on Dec. 28-29. Hoisington had a double-double of 11 points and a career-high 16 rebounds in a 58-53

win against Grand Canyon, and pulled down 11 rebounds to go along with seven points the previous night in an 82-80 double-overtime loss to host UC San Diego. It was Hoisington's third all-tourney team of the season. She also was honored at the GNAC-Pac West Classic on Dec. 4-5 in Nampa, Idaho, and at the season-opening Sodexo Tip-Off Classic at Seattle Pacific.
-- Senior guard Daesha Henderson and junior center Melissa Reich were part of the all-tournament team at the GNAC-CCAA Challenge on Dec. 20-21 at Western Washington University in Bellingham. Henderson tied her career highs with seven steals blocks to go along with 13 points, four rebounds and three assists in a 63-44 victory against Chico State on the second day. She handed out four assists in a 59-51 win against Sonoma State in the opener. Reich had 16 points, 12 rebounds, four steals and hit 5 of 6 from the floor in the two games combined. It was the second all-tourney team of the season for both players.
-- Henderson  named the Most Valuable Player of SPU's Sodexo Tip-Off Classic. Henderson had a 25-point, seven-assist game in a 90-53 victory against Colorado Christian, and averaged 15.5 points, 4.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds in the two games.
-- Reich joined Henderson and Hoisington on the Sodexo all-tournament team. Reich had a 10-rebound game against Humboldt State after grabbing nine against Colorado Christian, and also averaged 9.5 points in the two games.
-- Henderson is an honorable mention pick on the Women's Division II Bulletin Preseason All-American list.

FALCON FODDER
-- Seattle Pacific remains the best passing team in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, averaging 18.6 assists per game. Western Washington is close behind at 18.4.
-- The Falcons rank No. 2 in four different categories: Fewest points allowed per game (57.4), rebounding (42.8), steals (13.3) and blocked shots (3.6). Alaska Anchorage leads in three of those categories (50.3 points allowed, which also ranks No. 1 in Division II; 44.2 rebounds, 14.1 steals), and Western Washington leads in the other (4.8 blocks).
-- SPU is fourth in scoring at 71.0 points per game. Western Washington has jumped past Anchorage to lead that department, 78.5-76.0. Northwest Nazarene is third at 75.4.
-- Megan Hoisington is second in overall rebounding at 9.1 per game, and is closing in on leader Kayla Ryan of Montana State Billings (9.3). Hoisington is No. 2 on the defensive glass at 6.3 and No. 4 on the offensive end at 2.8.
-- Melissa Reich continues as the GNAC's best shooter at 55.9 percent (38 of 68). She also is a top-10 performer in rebounds (eighth at 6.9) and blocks (tied for 10th with nine).
-- Daesha Henderson is a conference top-10er in six categories: steals (third at 2.8), field goal shooting (fifth at .517), 3-pointers made (tied for sixth with 24), assists (tied for eighth at 3.0), scoring (ninth at 14.3) and 3-point shooting (10th at .414).
-- Maddie Maloney has climbed into the GNAC lead for assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.1. She is tied for sixth in assists at 3.3 per game, and tied for eighth in steals at 1.8.
--Sydney Benson had climbed three spots into a tie for seventh (with Reich) at 2.3 offensive rebounds per game.

Click on this link for a complete look at GNAC statistics.

NATIONALLY SPEAKING

-- Among 300 schools, Seattle Pacific ranks No. 16 in Division II for lowest opponents' field goal percentage, allowing just a 33.4 percent success rate from the field.
-- Also at the defensive end, the Falcons are No. 17 in steals per game (13.3) and No. 41 in fewest points allowed (57.4).
-- Maddie Maloney moved up eight spots and into the top 25 for assist-to-turnover ratio. She's right at No. 25 with her 2.1 average.
-- Daesha Henderson is a top-50 player nationally in field goal shooting (40th at .517) and steals (46th at 2.8).
-- Megan Hoisington is 49th in Division II rebounding at 9.1.

 Click on this link for a look at SPU's national statistical rankings. Click on this link to see how GNAC teams and players stack up nationally.

UP NEXT
Even with the loss of do-everything guard Shantell Marquis to a season-ending injury a couple months ago, Montana State Billings is playing well and hanging with the front runners in the early portion of the season. The Yellowjackets come to Brougham next Thursday, Jan. 21, for a 7 p.m. game. Two nights later, SPU journeys north to Bellingham for a showdown at Western Washington. That 7 p.m. game will be preceded by an alumni game between the schools at 5 p.m. on the same Carver Gym court.

FALCON MILESTONE FOR VAN BEEK
With a 59-46 victory against Dixie State on Dec. 5, Julie van Beek hit the century mark for coaching victories at Seattle Pacific. Only van Beek and her longtime predecessor, Gordy Presnell, have pulled off that feat with the Falcons.

Presnell picked up his 100th Falcon win in his 141st game, which came early in the sixth of his 18 years on the Falcons bench. Van Beek is at the outset of her fifth season in charge of the SPU program, and got to No. 100 in her 122nd game.

WELCOME ABOARD
A new group of basketball talent will be on its way to Seattle Pacific beginning next fall. The Falcons have announced the signing of guard Aubree Callen from Jerome, Idaho; center Riley Butler from Covington, Wash., and shooting guard Betsy Kingma of Bellevue, Wash.

The 5-foot-9 Callen hails from Jerome High School. As a junior last season, she averaged 15 points, eight rebounds and six assists per game helping the Tigers take third place in the Class 4A state tournament.

Butler, who stands 6-2, averaged six points and eight rebounds for Kentlake in 2008-09, and is regarded as a solid rebounder with plenty of upside potential.

Kingma, at 5-11, was an All-Kingco Conference first-teamer for Newport High School last year. An all-around talent, she averaged 16.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals, 1.6 blocks and 1.3 assists per game, helping the Knights earn at trip to Class 4A state.

COACH JULIE VAN BEEK
She's not one to talk about her own accomplishments. But that's OK. Julie van Beek's accomplishments wherever she has been -- including Seattle Pacific -- speak loud and clear for

themselves. She started this season with a 96-21 record at SPU, and a 258-140 overall mark, which includes nine years at Trevecca Nazarene in Nashville.

Van Beek guided her last six teams at Trevecca Nazarene to an average of 21 wins a year, reaching NAIA Division I postseason play in each of those years. That included a spot in the tournament quarterfinals in 2005.

She is no stranger to the Pacific Northwest or to many of the GNAC schools. A native of Nampa, Idaho, she starred at Northwest Nazarene from 1986-89, was the team's leading rebounder three times and remains among that program's top all-time scorers, rebounders and shot blockers.

Van Beek was an assistant for Oklahoma's Southern Nazarene from 1992-96 when that program won three NAIA titles.

TICKET TALK
Tickets for SPU's home games can be purchased at Brougham Pavilion (3414 3rd Ave. W.) on game day. Ticket windows open one hour prior to the listed start time for all home games.

Adult ticket prices are $8 for reserved seats at center court, $7 for reserved seats at the foul lines, and $6 for general admission. General admission for youths, students and senior citizens is $3.

SPU students, faculty and staff who present a valid current ID card are admitted free to all regular-season home events.

Organized groups or teams of 10 or more may qualify for special general admission rates. Group ticket prices are $3 for adults and $1 for youths, and apply to all group members. Any individuals attending the event who are not members of the group, including parents and siblings, can purchase regular-priced tickets in advance, but do not qualify for the group rate. Group tickets must be ordered and paid for at least 72 hours in advance of the event by calling the Athletics Office at (206) 281-2085.

AROUND THE GNAC
Click on this link for a look at news and notes from around the GNAC.

GNAC STANDINGS
                                                 GNAC      Overall
Western Washington             2-0          11-2
Seattle Pacific                         1-0           10-2
Montana State Billings          1-0             8-4
Alaska Anchorage                  1-1          11-2
Northwest Nazarene             1-1           11-2
Western Oregon                    1-1            6-10
Central Washington              1-1            4-8
Saint Martin's                          0-2            6-7
Alaska Fairbanks                   0-2            1-12