THE SCHEDULE:     Thursday, Jan. 21: Montana State Billings at SPU, 7 p.m.
                                   Brougham Pavilion/Seattle, Wash.
                                   Live Webcast and live stats on this link.

                                  Saturday, Jan. 23: SPU at Western Washington, 7 p.m.
                                  Sam Carver Gym/Bellingham, Wash.
                                  Live Webcast and live stats on this link.

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

SEATTLE -- If their game at Northwest Nazarene seemed dramatic -- and it was -- the Seattle Pacific Falcons just might be looking at more of the same this week.

The Falcons, whose third win of a 3-0 start in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play came courtesy of a Daesha Henderson buzzer-beater last Saturday afternoon in Nampa, Idaho, take on two more upper-echelon teams this week -- including the early-season leader of the pack.

SPU, having swept Saint Martin's (80-54 last Thursday) and NNU (63-61 on Henderson's last-second heroics) plays host to Montana State Billings on Thursday night at 7 in Royal Brougham Pavilion. Even without talented all-around guard Shantell Marquis, who is lost to an injury for the rest of the season, the Yellowjackets are off to a 2-1 start in the GNAC and are 9-5 overall.

Then comes a highly anticipated visit to Bellingham on Saturday for a showdown against the Western Washington Vikings. Western has set the pace so far this season, winning its first four GNAC games by an average of 27 points. That includes a 78-58 rout of defending co-champion and nationally ranked Alaska Anchorage on Jan. 9 in WWU's Carver Gym.

SPEAKING OF THE FALCONS
SPU coach Julie van Beek had more than one reason to be pleased with last Saturday's come-from-behind victory at Northwest Nazarene. First and foremost, it kept the Falcons perfect in conference play. Second, it gave them a leg up against NNU, which came into the season regarded as one of the four legitimate contenders for the GNAC crown.

And third, the Falcons pulled it out even though the host Crusaders wound up with the edge in some key statistical categories.

"I told them after the game, from the last time we were in this locker room (Dec. 5, after splitting two game in the GNAC-Pac West Classic), we've come a long way,” van Beek said.

This week will provide two more measuring sticks for the Falcons to check their progress.

“Montana State Billings can shoot -- they have three players averaging over 10 points,” van Beek said. “For them to lose Shantell Marquis is a huge loss. They also lost Alira Carpenter (to graduation), but they replaced her with Sarah McNamee. So they lost a good scorer, but they replaced her with a good scorer.”

Western Washington, of course, is its own challenge, especially on the Vikings' home floor.

“I think Western is the team to beat right now,” van Beek said. “I don't think in my whole college career I've gone against a team with three players averaging over 15 points a game -- that's amazing. And they have other players who can step up and score 15 or 17 a game. You have to make it very hard for every one of them to get an open look and make them take a shot that they don't want to take.”

SCOUTING MONTANA STATE BILLINGS (9-5, 2-1 GNAC)
All-time series: SPU leads, 15-14. Current series streak: SPU won 8. Last time: SPU 66, Montana State Billings 46 (Jan. 31, 2009 at Seattle). Montana State Billings on the Web.
Yellowjackets in a nutshell: Billings had some holes to plug this season, with Alira Carpenter and her GNAC-leading 22.3 scoring average having graduated, and Shantell Marquis, who averaged 7.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and led the team in assists and steals, going down with a season-ending injury in November. But the Jackets have more than held their own, Junior 6-foot-1 forward Kayla Ryan averages nearly a double-double of 15.6 point and 9.3 rebounds, and shoots .504 from the floor. Junior guard Sarah McNamee has picked up the slack left by Marquis' injury, averaging 13.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and leading the team in steals with 26. Billings split in Alaska last week, falling 85-63 at Anchorage before downing Fairbanks, 67-49.

SCOUTING WESTERN WASHINGTON (13-2, 4-0 GNAC)
All-time series: WWU leads, 49-24. Current series streak: WWU won 1. Last time: Western Washington 84, SPU 44 (Jan. 29, 2009 at Bellingham). Western Washington on the Web.
Vikings in a nutshell: Western Washington is the is the GNAC's offensive juggernaut, leading the conference in scoring (77.8 points per game), overall shooting (.492) and three-point shooting (.408). The Vikings can get it done at the other end, too, allowing just 57.7 points per game (third behind SPU's 57.4) and setting the pace in blocked shots (4.9 per game). Amanda Dunbar ranks in the top 10 of NCAA Division II in 3-point shooting at exactly .500 (46 of 92). She is the reigning GNAC Player of the Week after scoring a combined 52 points of 19-of-28 shooting (9 of 15 from 3-point range) in victories against Western Oregon and Saint Martin's last week. Dunbar joined the GNAC 1,000-point list last week, now totaling 1,030. Forward Jessica Summers and Dunbar rank 1-2 in conference scoring (17.5 and 17.0, respectively).

MOST RECENT SPU STARTERS
Jan. 16 at Northwest Nazarene, W 63-61
Totals vs. Northwest Nazarene/Season averages or totals
FG is previous game/season percentage
Player                                  Pts.         Reb.        Ast.        Stl.        Blk.      FG
F Megan Hoisington         10/10.4   8/8.9       1/2.1       2/24     1/20     4-9/.414
C Melissa Reich                  7/7.8     4/6.7       3/1.4       0/21      0/10    2-2/.564
G Jordan Harazin                8/6.9     1/3.1        3/2.5      0/17      0/0       3-6/.449
G Daesha Henderson     13/12.5   2/3.2       2/2.9       4/40      0/6       4-9/.504
G Maddie Maloney            10/6.4     0/2.5       4/3.5       3/26      0/4       4-7/.365
SEATTLE PACIFIC           63/71.1  32/41.5  14/18.7   13/186   1/52    22-49/.434

HOW DO THEY COMPARE?
(GNAC ranking in parentheses)
Points                    SPU  71.1 (4)     MSB   68.7 (5)    WWU  77.8 (1)
Points allowed    SPU  57.4 (2)     MSB   63.1 (6)    WWU  57.7 (3)
Rebounds             SPU  41.5 (2)     MSB   39.5 (3)    WWU  38.3 (7)
Assists                  SPU  18.7 (1)     MSB   17.4 (3)   WWU  18.2 (2)
Steals                    SPU  13.3 (2)     MSB    8.1 (7)     WWU   9.1 (5)
Blocks                   SPU   3.7 (2)       MSB    2.8 (4)    WWU   4.9 (1)
Turnovers             SPU  21.6 (8)     MSB   17.9 (1)   WWU  19.5 (5)
FG pct.                    SPU  .423 (4)     MSB   .399 (6)   WWU  .492 (1)
3-point pct.           SPU  .328 (6)     MSB   .326 (7)   WWU  .408 (1)
FT pct.                    SPU  .650 (9)     MSB   .772 (5)   WWU  .776 (3) 

POLLING PLACE
Seattle Pacific moved up three spots to No. 18 in the latest USA Today/ESPN Division II coaches poll, which was released on Jan. 19. That's a jump of three places from last week's poll. The Falcons received 193 points in the voting.

The top seven positions remained the same. Franklin Pierce of New Hampshire is No. 1, receiving 22 of the 27 first-place votes and 665 points. West Region rival UC San Diego is still No. 7.

Alaska Anchorage, despite winning its only game last week, fell one place to No. 13. Western Washington came within one spot of joining the top 25. The Vikings received 43 points and are No. 26 on the list. At No. 25 this week is Virginia State with 69 points.

Next week is a big one in terms of polls. The national poll will be released on Tuesday, Jan. 26. The first West Region rankings, which ultimately determine the qualifiers for the NCAA tournament, are due out Jan. 27.

FALCON REPLAY

Daesha Henderson Henderson hit an 18-footer from the right of the lane at the buzzer, lifting the Falcons past Northwest Nazarene last Saturday, 63-61.

Henderson's shot capped a wild final seven minutes of the game. For that matter, it capped a wild final few seconds for the Falcons, who raced to a 14-2 lead at the outset, but found themselves down 61-56 to the Crusaders (12-3, 2-2 GNAC) with 2:49 to play -- then scored the last seven points.

Senior guard Henderson (Snohomish, Wash./Snohomish HS), who finished with 13 points, had tied the game at 61-61 on a pair of free throws with 36.3 seconds left.

Senior forward Megan Hoisington (Bremerton, Wash./Central Kitsap HS) added 10 points and eight rebounds for SPU. Junior guard Maddie Maloney (Issaquah, Wash./Skyline HS), whose three-point play with 1:58 remaining started the Falcons' game-winning seven-point rally, wound up with 10 and had a team-high four assists.

Last Thursday, senior forward Sydney Benson hit 7 of 9 from the field for a career-high 16 points as the Falcons downed Saint Martin's, 80-54. Benson was the only Seattle Pacific player in double figures. Hoisington added nine points and pulled down a team-leading eight rebounds. Benson had four boards for the Falcons.

SPU hit a season-high 53.1 percent from the field (34 of 64) and was the second straight tame the Falcons topped 50 percent.

REMEMBER THEM?
Fans making the trek to Bellingham for Saturday's game can catch a contest between SPU and Western Washington alumni at 5 p.m. Although a roster is not yet firm and last-minute changes are possible, players who could be suiting up for the Falcons (with graduation year) include Michelle Beaumont (2005), Beth Christensen (2008), Carli Grant (2006), Val Gustafson (2004), Kelsey Hill (2009), Libby Magnuson (2008), Kristin Poe (2004), Rachel Strand (2007), Amy Taylor (2005) and Mandy Wood (2006).

MALONEY SAYS, “MAY I BE OF ASSISTANCE?”

Junior guard Maddie Maloney (Issaquah, Wash./Skyline HS) has led the Falcons in assists in all three GNAC games. She had four at Western Oregon, five against Saint Martin's and four more at Northwest Nazarene.

“I'm real proud of Maddie,” coach Julie van Beek said after the win at NNU. “She came out in the first half and did an outstanding job.”

ALL IN THE FAMILY
SPU sophomore guard Nyesha Sims (Portland, Ore.) is the cousin of track newcomer Crystal Sims. On the afternoon of Jan. 16, shortly after Nyesha Sims contributed eight points, five rebounds and two steals to Seattle Pacific's 63-61 win at Northwest Nazarene, Crystal Sims ran the 400-meter second leg of the Falcons' distance medley relay team at the UW Indoor Preview.

The running performance by Crystal, a junior who transferred here this year from Mount Hood Community College in Oregon, helped SPU earned an automatic qualifying time to the NCAA Division II indoor track championships of 11 minutes, 32.23 seconds.

ON THE HONOR ROLL
-- Senior forward Megan Hoisington was named to the all-tournament team at the Triton Holiday Classic on Dec. 28-29. 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, and in the season-opening Sodexo Tip-Off Classic on Nov. 20-21 in Brougham Pavilion. 
-- Senior guard Daesha Henderson and junior center Melissa Reich (Bothell, Wash./Bellevue Christian HS) were part of the all-tournament team at the GNAC-CCAA Challenge on Dec. 20-21 at Western Washington University in Bellingham. It was the second all-tourney team of the season for both players.
-- Henderson was named the Most Valuable Player of SPU's Sodexo Tip-Off Classic. Henderson had a 25-point, 7-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.
-- Henderson is an honorable mention pick on the Women's Division II Bulletin Preseason All-American list.

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.

REWRITE THAT RECORD BOOK
Last week's two games resulted in five career highs for Falcon players:
-- Katie Thralls (six points against Saint Martin's).
-- Nyesha Sims (four assists against Saint Martin's).
-- Megan Hoisington (five blocks against Saint Martin's).
-- Rachel Murray (three steals at Northwest Nazarene).
-- Sydney Benson (16 points against Saint Martin's).

In addition, Thralls (three assists against Saint Martin's), Sims (five rebounds at Northwest Nazarene), Benson (one assist against Saint Martin's) and Melissa Reich (three assists at Northwest Nazarene) tied their career highs in those categories.

FALCON FODDER
-- Seattle Pacific continues to set the passing pace in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, averaging 18.7 assists per game. Western Washington is second at 18.2.
-- The Falcons rank No. 2 in four different categories: Fewest points allowed per game (57.4), rebounding (41.5), steals (13.3) and blocked shots (3.7). Alaska Anchorage leads in three of those categories (51.2 points allowed, which also ranks No. 1 in Division II; 43.5 rebounds, 14.9 steals), and Western Washington leads in the other (4.9 blocks).
-- SPU is fourth in scoring at 71.1 points per game. Western Washington leads that department at 77.8.
-- Megan Hoisington is third in overall rebounding at 8.9 per game. She is tied for second on  the defensive glass at 6.0 and moved up to No. 3 on the offensive end at 2.9.
-- Melissa Reich continues as the GNAC's best shooter at 56.4 percent (44 of 78). She also is a top-10 performer in overall rebounds (tied for 10th at 6.7), offensive rebounds (tied for seventh at 2.4) and blocks (tied for ninth with 10).
-- Daesha Henderson is a conference top-10er in five categories: steals (third at 2.9), field goal shooting (tie for sixth at .504), 3-pointers made (seventh with 26), assists (tied for ninth at 2.9) and scoring (10th at 13.5).
-- Maddie Maloney retained the GNAC lead for assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.0. She climbed into a tie for fourth in assists at 3.5 per game, and jumped into a tie for seventh I steals at 1.9.
--Sydney Benson now is among the top 10 shooters in the GNAC at 49.4 percent. Benson hit a combined 61.5 percent (8 of 13) in last week's two games.

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

NATIONALLY SPEAKING
-- Among 300 schools, Seattle Pacific ranks No. 19 in Division II for lowest opponents' field goal percentage, allowing just a 34.5 percent success rate from the field.
-- Also at the defensive end, the Falcons are No. 17 in steals per game (13.3) and No. 34 in fewest points allowed (57.4), the latter a jump of seven places from last week even though their average is exactly the same.
-- SPU is No. 17 among D-2 schools in assists per game at 18.7.
-- Maddie Maloney is No. 26 for assist-to-turnover ratio with her 2.0 average.
-- Daesha Henderson is 29th in steals per game at 2.9.
-- Megan Hoisington is 52nd in Division II rebounding at 8.9.

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
It's Homecoming time again, but the Falcons will have to delay any celebrating until after their business on the basketball court. SPU and Alaska Anchorage square off on Thursday afternoon, Jan. 28, at 5:15. The last time those two teams met was in in the NCAA West Regional championship game last March 16 in Brougham, with the Seawolves prevailing, 54-43. Homecoming Saturday finds the Falcons tipping off against Alaska Fairbanks at 1:30 p.m.

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.

At Seattle Pacific, van Beek took charge of a team that already had become NCAA Division II power under the guidance of Gordy Presnell for 18 seasons before he left to accept the head coaching job at Boise State. Van Beek's four teams here have gone 24-6, 20-9,29-1 and 23-5. 

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            4-0           13-2
Seattle Pacific                         3-0          12-2
Alaska Anchorage                 2-1           12-2
Montana State Billings         2-1             9-5
Northwest Nazarene             2-2           12-3
Western Oregon                    2-2            7-11
Central Washington             1-3            4-10
Alaska Fairbanks                  0-3            1-13
Saint Martin's                         0-4             6-9