Setting the Scene: The Lutes enjoy the comforts of home after five games on the road, welcoming Willamette University to Olson Gymnasium for the first home game of the spring semester.
Series History: Pacific Lutheran and Willamette have met 91 times since the 1980-1981 season with PLU holding a slim 47-44 advantage in the series. The Lutes swept the season series last winter, prevailing 68-56 in Salem and 83-55 inside Olson Gymnasium. The two teams met earlier this season with host Willamette enjoying an 80-61 triumph on Jan. 9.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (2-18, 1-10 NWC) picked up its first victory of the conference slate last Friday, rolling up Lewis & Clark College 78-58 in Portland. The visiting Lutes had a career night from Ghadir Ramadan who had 25 points and 10 rebounds along with three assists and three steals and was one of four Lutes in double figures. The Lutes put the clamps on the River Otters from the onset, owning a 30-21 halftime edge after holding the hosts to just 10 points in the second quarter. Unfortunately for the Lutes, that success didn't roll over into Saturday, falling 75-45 to George Fox University. PLU was back on the court on Tuesday night with host University of Puget Sound prevailing 84-42 in a contest that Sydney Reisner scored her milestone 1,000th career point.
Sydney Reisner is saving her best for last, averaging a team-best 14.3 points per game in her senior season. Reisner is shooting 40.8 percent from the field and is now just 40 points shy of cracking the program's top 10 scoring list. Lilli Williams adds 10.0 points per game and adds 4.5 rebounds per game while Ghadir Ramadan is the leading rebounder, hauling in 5.6 rebounds per game.
About the Bearcats: Willamette (8-12, 5-6 NWC) heads into the weekend having dropped two of its last three games. The Bearcats outlasted Pacific University 65-55 on Jan. 24 before getting dropped 65-41 against George Fox University on Jan. 27 and 69-60 at the hands of Whitman College on Jan. 30. Willamette finished off the month of January on a high note, smashing Whitworth University 60-46 on the 31st.
That game saw the host Bearcats seize control in the second quarter, outscoring the Pirates 20-4 during that stretch, enjoying a 31-16 halftime edge. Kaitlin Imai was a huge part of that success, finishing the game with 18 points.
Riley Walden leads the team with a 13.8 points per game average and a team-best 6.0 rebounds per game with Kaitlin Imai chipping in 11.3 ppg and a team-leading 3.1 assists per game.
1K Lute: Lute senior Sydney Reisner made history in the first half of Tuesday's game against University of Puget Sound, becoming just the 12th Lute to eclipse 1,000 points and the first to do so since Samantha Potter during the 2013-2014 season.
Her 1,012 points sit 12th on the all-time scoring list and is just 40 points shy of tying 2024 PLU Hall of Fame Inductee Becky Franza (1,052 points) who played from 1998 to 2002.
How Sweet it Is: Today at halftime the Lutes will be recognizing the 20th anniversary of the 2005-2006 PLU women's basketball team that won the NWC title and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16. The Lutes finished the season with a 24-4 overall record and a 14-2 mark in conference action. PLU's 24 wins that season still stands as a program single season record. PLU headed into the postseason with a six game win streak and opened the NCAA Tournament with a 72-54 victory over Chapman University. PLU skated past crosstown rival University of Puget Sound 62-50 in the second round before getting edged 76-72 by Hardin-Simmons University in the round of 16.
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:
Feb. 20 vs. Whitworth 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