Setting the Scene: The Pacific Lutheran University women's basketball team caps off the opening weekend of NWC play this afternoon, welcoming Oregon rival Lewis & Clark College to Olson Gymnasium.
Series History: The Lutes and River Otters have met 88 times since the 1980-1981 season with the series tilted 55-33 in favor of PLU.
The conference rivals split the series last winter, each winning on their home floor. The Lutes got 13 points from Sydney Reisner in a 61-52 victory on Jan. 24 in Olson before falling 74-66 on Feb. 22 in the rematch in Portland.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (1-8) capped off its non-league slate on Tuesday, falling 81-49 to Middlebury College (Vermont). The visiting Panthers were dialed in to start the game, shooting a blistering 83.3 percent from beyond the arc in the first quarter, building a 22-9 advantage after 10 minutes of play.
Lilli Williams led the Lutes with 10 points and eight rebounds while Emi Wada had nine points and four assists.
PLU began its homestand back on Dec. 14, piling on 24 points in the opening quarter in a 64-47 win over in-state rival The Evergreen State College. Sydney Reisner had a banner day with 18 points and four steals while Wada and Kylie Griffin both added 11.
Sydney Reisner is PLU's leading scorer through the opening nine games of the season, averaging 11.1 points per game with a team-high 18 steals. Reisner, the 2023 NWC Rookie of the Year, has drained a team-best 12 threes this year and leads the squad in minutes played, averaging 30 minutes a game.
Lilli Williams has made a big impact in her first season as a Lute, adding 9.4 ppg and 4.9 rebounds per game while Kylie Griffin adds 9.0 ppg. Ghadir Ramadan is PLU's leading rebounder with 5.7 rpg with Emi Wada the top distributer with 31 assets on the year.
About the River Otters: Lewis & Clark (2-6) heads to Tacoma to open league play and looks to snap a four-game slide. The River Otters crushed Walla Walla University 88-47 back on Nov. 22 but its been tough sledding since, dropping games at the hands of Corban University (76-67), Warner Pacific University (82-74), Bushnell University (80-72), and Occidental College (64-45).
L&C's last game against Occidental back on Dec. 20 saw the host Tigers pull away in the second quarter, outscoring the River Otters 15-6. Caitlin Carns led the River Otters in Los Angeles with 13 points, shooting five-for-10 from the floor.
Kaitlen Carns is Lewis & Clark's leading scorer, contributing 11.9 points per game and is one of three players to average in double figures through the first eight games of 2025-2026. Lauryn Fredericton adds 10.3 ppg and a team-high 8.9 rebounds per game while Hailey Perez offers 10.0 ppg. Kaela Guidry is second on the team in rebounding, hauling in 7.0 per game.
As a team, the River Otters average 67.1 points per game and are shooting at a 33.5 percent clip from the floor.
Pioneers>>>River Otters: It's a new name for the Lewis & Clark College athletic teams this winter as the College officially changed nicknames from Pioneers to River Otters.
NWC Coaches' Poll
The Lutes look to defy expectations this fall after getting pegged to place ninth in the conference standings in the annual NWC Preseason Coaches' Poll. PLU collected 11 points in the poll, falling six shy of eighth ranked Lewis & Clark College. Linfield University is the preseason favorite with 60 points with crosstown rival University of Puget Sound second with 56 points.
Trailblazing NIL the D3 Way: PLU Athletics continues to lead the way nationally in Name, Image, and Likeness, unveiling the Luteville Marketplace last fall through the department's partnership with Opendorse. But don't stay on the sidelines, get involved and connect with PLU student-athletes on the Luteville Marketplace: LINK
The Luteville Marketplace is the first dedicated NIL marketplace in Division III on the Opendorse platform that directly connects student-athletes with fans, supporters, and business partners in an easy to use website.
Stay connected to your favorite teams by downloading the official mobile app of the Pacific Lutheran University athletic department powered by SIDEARM Sports, available in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.
Featuring real-time news alerts, schedules, exclusive multimedia content, gameday details and more, the new PLU Athletics app is free and compatible with both iOS and Android devices.
Next Game:
Jan. 6 vs. Puget Sound at 5:30 p.m.
PLU Non-Discrimination Policy: Pacific Lutheran University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability or age in its programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Title IX Coordinator Jennifer Childress-White; 253-535-7361; TitleIX@plu.edu