Women's College Basketball
Taylor lifts No. 1 SPU

By José Miguel Romero
Seattle Times staff reporter

	HARLEY SOLTES / THE SEATTLE TIMES SPU guard Amy Taylor (left) hugs coach Gordy Presnell as the final seconds tick off the clock in the Falcons’ win in the West Regional title game.
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Nervous? Not Amy Taylor.

Not after she finished a nice rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" to open last night's NCAA Division II West Regional championship game.

The pregame performance gave way to a basketball game worth singing about, a game Taylor's Seattle Pacific Falcons needed to win for their magical season to continue.

Taylor made all of her baskets meaningful, drilling five three-point shots and all six of her free throws as the top-seeded Falcons kept alive their national title hopes with an 80-63 win over Cal Poly Pomona at Brougham Pavilion.

She still had enough voice left to scream in celebration with her teammates as the game clock wound down, and for good reason — the Falcons are headed to the Division II Elite Eight for the second time in school history.

"I was more nervous to sing than I was for the game," Taylor admitted after being named to the regional's all-tournament team. "I was kind of afraid I would forget the words, but I didn't.

"I hadn't shot well the past two games (a combined 2 for 8 on three-pointers). The coaches kept telling me they had confidence in me."

The Falcons were full of confidence from the start, and it showed. SPU grabbed a 21-9 lead after Taylor zipped a no-look pass to regional MVP Valerie Gustafson for an easy basket.

By that time, Taylor had already hit two threes and was on her way to 21 points and 10 assists. The Broncos had no answer for the Falcons' transition game until they started using traps and double teams on defense in the latter part of the first half.

Cal Poly Pomona also couldn't control any one Falcons player. Such was the balance Seattle Pacific had on offense, as four players scored in double figures.

Gustafson had 14 points. Forward Kristin Poe, another all-tournament selection, scored 10 with four steals. Michelle Beaumont scored 10, including a three-pointer with 3:37 to play that put the game out of reach. And 6-foot-4 center Brittney Kroon blocked seven shots, her presence forcing Pomona's all-tournament center, Keila Beachem, into a 2-for-17 shooting performance.

	HARLEY SOLTES / THE SEATTLE TIMES SPU's Amy Taylor puts up a three during the second half last night. After hitting just 2 of 8 from beyond the arc in two previous games, she was 5 of 11 against Pomona.

The Broncos (23-7) had made only 20 percent of their shots at one point late in the first half, and high-scoring guard Candice Allen spent most of the game trying to shake off Poe, Taylor and the myriad of defensive switches the Falcons made to pressure her. Allen finished with 16 points, almost nine below her season average.

Still, what started as a blowout in the making turned tense for the Falcons, who saw a 19-point lead fall to nine by halftime and four by the 9:38 mark of the second half. The Broncos, particularly forward Marisa Lattin, matched the Falcons basket for basket to open the half, and a Beachem layup trimmed SPU's lead to 55-51.

It never got closer, thanks to Taylor.

The junior guard from Shoreline knocked down a three from the left side. She came back with another from the right, then added two free throws. Taylor's own 8-0 run was too much for the Broncos to overcome, and the Falcons were never challenged again.

"We talked about having unfinished business," Falcons coach Gordy Presnell said, referring to the Falcons' loss in the regional final to Cal State-Bakersfield a year ago. "When you have only one loss, that's the thing you talk about."

The Falcons had only that one loss last season. They have none so far in 2003-2004, and after last night, they have set school records for consecutive wins and victories in a single season with 30.

SPU will travel to St. Joseph, Mo., for the national quarterfinals, where it will face South Central Region champion Drury of Springfield, Mo., on March 24.

When the outcome last night was no longer in question, the Falcons could finally slow the frantic pace of the game and exchange embraces while taking in the roar of the crowd.

Said Poe: "It just finally came together at the right time."

YESTERDAY'S SUMMARY

Seattle Pacific 80, Cal Poly Pomona 63

CAL POLY POMONA — Lattin 8-13 3-4 20; Allen 5-18 6-7 16; Williams 4-5 0-2 8; Beachem 2-17 3-4 7; Swanson-Cades 2-5 2-3 6; Fletcher 2-3 2-2 6; Wilson 0-1 0-0 0; Gatdula 0-1 0-0 0; Ferguson 0-1 0-0 0; Perkins 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 23-68 16-22 63.

SEATTLE PACIFIC — Taylor 5-14 6-6 21; Gustafson 7-10 0-1 14; Poe 3-10 2-2 10; Beaumont 2-5 4-4 10; Wood 3-3 0-0 9; Kroon 3-7 1-5 7; Smith 2-3 1-2 5; Soule 0-1 0-2 0. Totals 25-53 18-26 80.

Three-point goals — Cal Poly Pomona 1-8 (Lattin 1-4; Allen 0-1; Beachem 0-1; Perkins 0-2), Seattle Pacific 12-20 (Taylor 5-11; Wood 3-3; Beaumont 2-3; Poe 2-3). Fouled out — None. Rebounds — Cal Poly Pomona 44 (Beachem 11), Seattle Pacific 35 (Kroon 7). Assists — Cal Poly Pomona 14 (Swanson-Cades 6), Seattle Pacific 22 (Taylor 10). Total fouls — Cal Poly Pomona 21, Seattle Pacific 16. A — 1,598.

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