THE SCHEDULE:     Saturday, Jan. 9: SPU at Western Oregon, 2 p.m.
                                   New PE Building/Monmouth, Ore.
                                   Live Webcast and live stats on this link.

       Weekly release with complete stats, opponent starters (PDF)

SEATTLE -- Now, it really starts to count.

The 22nd-ranked Seattle Pacific Falcons, after putting a 9-2 nonconference record into the books -- including five wins in seven games against West Region opponents -- get into the heart of their women's basketball schedule with the opening of Great Northwest Athletic Conference play on Saturday at Western Oregon.

SPU, which has bye on Thursday's first night of conference action, tips off against the Wolves at 2 p.m.

The Falcons come into the game as defending GNAC co-champions, sharing last year's crown with Alaska Anchorage at 14-2. With four teams -- Anchorage, SPU, Western Washington and Northwest Nazarene -- considered as legitimate contenders for this season's title, every game, whether within that foursome (which went a combined 38-6 in nonconference action) or outside of it, takes on a certain must-win urgency.

Seattle Pacific is riding some momentum into Monmouth, with two straight victories to close out a California road trip last week. The Falcons have won six of their last seven, a streak interrupted by only an 82-80 double-overtime loss at 14th-ranked UC San Diego on Dec. 28.

SPU open its home conference schedule by facing Saint Martin's on Thursday, Jan. 14, at 7 p.m. Then comes the first of six games against the contenders, with a visit to Northwest Nazarene in Nampa, Idaho, on Jan. 16.

SPEAKING OF THE FALCONS
They evened the score with Grand Canyon and took down a national-caliber NAIA team. Only a couple of points at UC San Diego kept Seattle Pacific from a perfect three-game trip through California to finish off 2009. But coach Julie van Beek certainly wasn't disappointed.

“We would have liked three wins,” she said. “(But) we came down here, and this was a good experience. We had a chance to be in a double-overtime game, we played two teams that we're going to see in the regional tournament (UC San Diego and Grand Canyon), and even (at Azusa Pacific), it was against a real good team.

“We saw things we can do against the best teams, and there are still things we can work on.”

The Falcons continued their solid work at one end of the court, and are finding their groove more and more at the other end.

“I think our defense is really good, and we're getting more of an offensive flow” van Beek said. “I'd still like us to be more consistent on rebounding, and do a better job of taking care of the ball.

“But we're 9-2, we've played a good schedule, we've learned from some situations, and we're in a good spot,” she added. “We have just one game this week, so we have an opportunity to fine-tune some things.”

SCOUTING WESTERN OREGON (5-9, 0-0 GNAC)
All-time series: SPU leads, 24-2. Current series streak: SPU won 24. Last time: SPU 70, Western Oregon 39 (Feb. 28, 2009 at Monmouth, Ore.). Western Oregon on the Web.
Wolves in a nutshell: Western Oregon won the first two games of the series, way back in 1981-82. The Wolves haven't beaten the Falcons since then. WOU begins the week on a three-game losing streak. Its last victory was a 69-47 rout of Cal State Los Angeles in the GNAC-CCAA Challenge on Dec. 19 in Nampa, Idaho. The Wolves return to Nampa on to face Northwest Nazarene for the start of conference play. Western Oregon is led in scoring and rebounding by senior forward Katie Torland at 16.9 points and 6.4 boards per game. No one else comes close to double-figures, as guard Hannah Whitsett is next at 7.8 points per game. Torland, who scored 21 and 18 points in the two games against SPU last season, became the 36th member of the GNAC 1,000-point club when she tallied nine points in a 69-57 loss to Adams State (Colo.) on Jan. 1. The Wolves allow just 60.4 points per game, ranking No. 5 in the GNAC, but score an average of just 61.2, which ranks No. 8.

MOST RECENT SPU STARTERS
Dec. 31 at Azusa Pacific, W 71-62
Totals vs. Azusa Pacific/Season averages or totals
FG is previous game/season percentage
Player                                 Pts.        Reb.          Ast.       Stl.       Blk.       FG
F Megan Hoisington        12/10.0  10/9.4       3/2.3      2/18     1/14     3-8/.387
C Melissa Reich                 9/8.2      7/7.1        2/1.2     3/21      0/9       4-6/.563
G Jordan Harazin               9/7.0      5/3.7        0/2.5     0/13      0/0       3-5/.463
G Daesha Henderson    16/14.0    2/3.6       3/3.2      3/28     1/5        6-11/.500
G Maddie Maloney             2/6.5      1/2.7        4/3.3     1/21      0/2       1-3/.377
SEATTLE PACIFIC           71/70.6  44/43.9  19/18.9  11/148   3/41    25-52/.417

HOW DO THEY COMPARE?
Points                    SPU  70.6     WOU  61.2
Points allowed    SPU  57.0     WOU  60.4
Rebounds             SPU  43.9     WOU  32.1
Assists                  SPU  18.9     WOU  11.1
Steals                    SPU  13.5     WOU  9.8
Blocks                   SPU    3.7     WOU  1.7
Turnovers             SPU  21.8     WOU  20.9
FG pct.                    SPU  .417     WOU  .385
3-point pct.           SPU  .316     WOU  .341
FT pct.                    SPU  .644     WOU  .777  

POLLING PLACE
Seattle Pacific is at No. 22 in the latest USA Today/ESPN Division II coaches poll, which was released on Jan. 5. That's a drop of two spots from the last poll (Dec. 15). The Falcons received 132 points in the voting. Franklin Pierce of New Hampshire replaced Michigan Tech atop the poll, receiving 17 of the 20 first-place votes and 614 points. Michigan Tech fell to No. 5, but still got three first-place votes.

Alaska Anchorage is No. 8, a fall of three places, and UC San Diego, now 10-0 (including its double-overtime victory against SPU), climbed five spots to No. 9. Northwest Nazarene, while not in the top 25, is 27th overall this week with 51 points.

The next poll will be released Jan. 12. 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
They traded the lead 20 times. Found themselves tied 19 times. Played 50 minutes of basketball within a span of 10 points. But at the final buzzer, two points was just enough to separate the 14th-ranked UC

San Diego women from 20th-ranked Seattle Pacific on the first night of the Triton Holiday Classic at UCSD, 82-80 in double overtime. Junior center Melissa Reich (Bothell, Wash./Bellevue Christian HS) had a career-high double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds, Senior guard Daesha Henderson (Snohomish, Wash./Snohomish HS) pumped in 14 points and handed out seven assists, and junior guard Maddie Maloney (Issaquah, Wash./Skyline HS) handed out a career-best eight assists.

The next night, senior forward Megan Hoisington (Bremerton, Wash./Central Kitsap HS) scored 11 points and pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds, and Seattle Pacific scored the first 14 points of the game, then fended off Grand Canyon, 58-53. Senior forward Sydney Benson (Snohomish, Wash./Snohomish HS) added 10 points and six rebounds for SPU.

Hoisington scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for her second straight double, Henderson poured in 16 points, and 20th-ranked SPU opened both halves with a big scoring spurt to put away Azusa Pacific on Dec. 31 in the final nonconference women's basketball game of the season, 71-62. Hoisington, coming off 11 points and a career-high 16 rebounds against Grand Canyon, posted her team-leading fourth double-double of the season. Benson added 11 points for SPU.

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 in Brougham Pavilion.
-- Daesha Henderson and 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, 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. 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 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
The three-game California road trip resulted in eight career highs for various Falcons:
-- McKayla Gorman (five rebounds at Azusa Pacific).
-- Nyesha Sims (one blocked shot against Grand Canyon).
-- Megan Hoisington (16 rebounds against Grand Canyon, six assists against UC San Diego).
-- Maddie Maloney (eight assists against UC San Diego).
-- Caitlyn Rohrbach (five assists against Azusa Pacific).
-- Melissa Reich (15 points and 11 rebounds, both against UC San Diego).

In addition, sophomore guard Jordan Harazin (Colfax, Wash./Colfax HS) tied her career highs for points (13) and assists (five), both against UC San Diego. Also tying career highs in that game were sophomore guard Gorman (Parker, Colo./Chaparral HS) with eight points, sophomore guard Sims (Portland, Ore./Jefferson HS) with five rebounds, and Henderson with seven rebounds.

FALCON FODDER
-- Seattle Pacific is still the best passing team in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, averaging 18.9 assists per game.
-- The Falcons rank No. 2 in four different categories: Fewest points allowed per game (57.0), rebounding (43.9), steals (13.5) and blocked shots (3.7). Alaska Anchorage leads in three of those categories (48.5 points allowed 44.8 rebounds, 15.0 steals), and Western Washington leads in the other (4.7 blocks).

-- SPU is fourth in scoring at 70.6 points per game. Anchorage is on top in that department, as well, at 77.5. But Western Washington is right behind at 77.4, and Northwest Nazarene is third at 76.5.
-- Daesha Henderson is a conference top-10er in five categories: steals (fourth at 2.5), 3-point field goals made (tied for fourth with 22), scoring (tied for eighth at 14.0 points), field goal shooting (eighth at .500) and assists (eighth at 3.2).
-- Megan Hoisington is second in overall rebounding at 9.4 per game. She is No. 2 on the defensive glass at 6.4 and tied for second on the offensive end at 3.0.
-- Melissa Reich is the GNAC's best shooter at 56.3 percent (36 of 64). She also is a top-10 performer in rebounds (seventh at 7.1), blocks (tied for ninth with nine) and steals (tied for 10th at 1.9).
-- Maddie Maloney is second in assist/turnover ratio (2.0), seventh in assists (3.3) and tied for 10th in steals (1.9).
-- Sydney Benson is 10th in offensive rebounding (2.3 per game).

Click on this link for a look at GNAC statistical leaders.

NATIONALLY SPEAKING
-- Seattle Pacific is the 12th-toughest Division II team to shoot against, allowing opponents to make just 33.4 percent from the field.
-- That's not the only defensive category in which the Falcons are making their mark. They are No. 14 in steals at 13.5 per game, and No. 35 in points allowed at 57.0. In all categories, that is out of 270 Division II schools.
-- Megan Hoisington's rebounding average of 9.4 is 44th in D-2.
-- Maddie Maloney ranks 33rd in Division II for assist/turnover ratio at 2.0.

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
The Falcons play host to Saint Martin's next Thursday, Jan. 14, in their GNAC home opener at 7 p.m. in Brougham Pavilion. The Saints went 6-5 in preseason play and open their conference schedule at at Montana State Billings on Thursday, then play at home against Northwest Nazarene on Saturday. Seattle Pacific heads to Northwest Nazarene on Saturday, Jan. 16, at noon PST.

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