Setting the Scene: It's the second of four straight home games for the Pacific Lutheran University men's basketball program, welcoming Northwest Conference rival Pacific University to Olson Gymnasium.
Series History: The Lutes and Boxers have met 135 times in a rivalry that dates to the 1939-1940 season. PLU owns a commanding 93-40 edge in the all-time series winning two straight and seven of the last eight meetings.
Last season it was a 79-67 Lute victory inside Olson on Jan. 13 before earning a 73-65 win against the Boxers in Forest Grove on Feb. 9.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (6-9, 3-3 NWC) returns home to Olson Gymnasium with a modest two game winning streak. PLU's good fortune's began last Tuesday night, grinding out a 71-69 victory over crosstown rival University of Puget Sound.
The host loggers hit seven of 11 three-pointers in the opening half but the Lutes weathered the storm, using a late 7-0 run to rake control. Ben Tellez headlined the night with 17 points while Brandin Riedel had 14 along with six rebounds.
Three days later, the Lutes picked up another nail biting win on the road, escaping Salem, Oregon with a 76-73 victory over Willamette University. PLU trailed by 11 early in the second half but battled back, utilizing a 9-0 run to take the lead for good in a game PLU had five players in double figures.
Julian Brown was seven-for-12 from the floor, scoring 16 points while Ben Tellez and Miles Nash both had 13 points.
Miles Nash is PLU's leading scorer, averaging 12.8 points per game while also leading the team in assists with 3.4 per game. Brandin Riedel is shooting 58.4 percent from the floor and averages 10.7 ppg and a team-best 5.7 rebounds per game as the only Lute to start all 15 games this winter. Ben Tellez is the third Lute averaging in double figures. The sharpshooter leads the team in threes with 25 and nets 10,1 ppg.
About the Boxers: Pacific (8-7, 3-3 NWC) heads into the weekend looking to buts out of a two game slump. The Boxers outlasted University of Puget Sound in a track meet 101-90 on Jan. 10 but since then dropped a pair of games to the Whits. Pacific had double digits leads early in both games but fell short 73-71 last Friday to Whitman College and 82-74 the following day against Whitworth University.
Pacific led by as many as 11 early against Whitman but that advantage was quickly negated, owning just a one possession lead after one half of play. The game was tied with 17 seconds left courtesy of a Zachary Bates layup but the Blues' Ali Efe Isik hit a jumper with two seconds left to lift Whitman to the win.
The Boxers opened last Saturday's game on a 17-2 run but ran out of steam down the stretch despite getting 22 points from Lucas Winkler.
Three Boxers average double digit scoring with Lucas Winkler the top threat, dropping 14.3 points per game and grabbing a team-best 6.2 rebounds per game. Winkler also leads the team in both assists (5.4 per game) and steals (3.2 per game). Devin Fortune is not far off Winkler's production, netting 14.0 ppg and 5.8 rpg while Jake Blazona chips in 11.5 ppg.
Home Sweet Home: Olson Gymnasium is a tough venue for opposing teams with the Lutes boasting a 32-18 record inside the facility since the 2020-2021 season.
Luteville Highlights
Check out the highlights from PLU's last homestand against Linfield and George Fox.
NWC Preseason Coaches' Poll
Trailblazing NIL the D3 Way: PLU Athletics continues to lead the way nationally in Name, Image, and Likeness, unveiling the Luteville Marketplace 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.
Last spring PLU became just the second Division III school in the nation and the first school in any division in the State of Washington to partner with Athlete's Thread. Athlete's Thread allows every Lute student-athlete to sell customizable gear and jerseys with their name and number and receive monetary compensation for a portion of each sale. Check out the link above to order your gear today!
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 Home Game:
Jan. 31: Whitman at 6 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
Credits:
Lindsey Clark