Setting the Scene: The Pacific Lutheran University women's basketball team finishes off its six game homestand tonight, welcoming Northwest Conference rival and crosstown nemesis University of Puget Sound to Olson Gymnasium.
Series History: The Lutes and Loggers have met 95 times on the hardwood since the 1980-1981 campaign with the series tilted 68-27 in favor of Puget Sound.
Last season, Puget Sound swept the season series, prevailing 60-46 inside its home gym on Jan. 14 before escaping Olson Gymnasium with a 60-51 victory on Feb. 11.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (1-10, 0-2 NWC) closes its extended homestand tonight against its crosstown rival and looks to rebound after dropping a tough overtime game against Lewis & Clark College on Saturday.
Emi Wada hit a game tying jumper in the final second to force overtime but the Lutes fell 72-62 to the River Otters who got to the free throw line 32 times over the course of the game, including 14 times during the extra five minute session.
Sydney Reisner led the Lutes for the second consecutive night, dropping 20 points while Lilli Williams tallied 10 rebounds and eight points.
The previous night, the Lutes had an early lead on George Fox University but went into the half tied at 30-30. The Bruins pushed ahead in the third quarter only to see the Lutes close within a possession with 5;36 left in the game. PLU was unable to get any closer, stumbling 66-55 on a night Reisner scored 20 points.
Sydney Reisner is PLU's leading scorer, averaging 12.7 points per game on the season, including 20.0 ppg during league play. Reisner additionally leads the team in minutes played (32) and steals (19).
Lilli Williams has made a big impact in her first season as a Lute, adding 9.4 ppg and 5.2 rebounds per game while Kylie Griffin adds 8.4 ppg. Ghadir Ramadan is PLU's leading rebounder with 5.8 rpg with Emi Wada the top distributer with 34 assets on the year.
About the Loggers: Puget Sound (9-2) heads to Olson Gymnasium riding a five-game win streak. The Loggers dropped a heartbreaker 60-58 to host Occidental College back on Nov. 30.
Since then, Puget Sound has ripped off wins over non-league foes Evergreen State College (88-49), UC Santa Cruz (60-46), and Middlebury College (42-36) on top of conference wins over the weekend against Lewis & Clark (61-54) and George Fox (55-44). Puget Sound's two losses have been a combined seven points this season, falling by five to Colorado College in the second game of the season in addition to the two point setback to Occidental.
Carmen Cruz is one of two Loggers' to average in double figures, dropping 11.4 points per game while grabbing 4.4 rebounds per game. Male Sake adds 11.1 ppg and 5.6 rpg while Hailey Quiggle accounts for 9.2 ppg. Autumn Hill leads the team in both rebounds (5.7 per game) and blocks (24).
Puget Sound averages 60.9 ppg, outscoring opponents by an average 12.9 margin per game. The Loggers have additionally been a tough team on the boards, boastng a +12.4 rebounding margin.
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. 16 vs. Pacific 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