Setting the Scene: The Lutes resume their opening homestand of 2024 today, welcoming Lewis & Clark to Olson Gymnasium.
Series History: The Lutes enjoy a 75-61 edge in the all-time series that dates back to the 1938-1939 season.
PLU has won six of the last eight but it was the Pios who swept the season series in 2022-2023, prevailing 95-92 in Portland and 69-68 inside Olson Gymnasium.
About the Lutes:Pacific Lutheran (8-5, 0-4 NWC) returned to league play last weekend, coming up just short against both George Fox (88-83) and Willamette (85-82).
The Lutes led by as many as 11 points in a wild game against GFU that featured 13 lead changes and 10 ties.
Jason Montes headlined the day for the Lutes with 18 points while adding 16 points and 10 rebounds the next day against Willamette.
The Lutes outscored Willamette 47-38 in the second half last Saturday but it was too little, too late, as PLU dropped its fourth consecutive game.
PLU can shoot the ball, ranking 10th in NCAA Division III (out of 412 teams) in field goal percentage (49.4 percent) while leading the NWC in both rebounding margin (+6.5) and scoring defense (70.6). Brandin Riedel sits 16th nationally in field goal percentage, leading the NWC after sinking 62.4 percent of his shots.
Four Lutes average in double figures with Miles Nash paving the way with a 14.9 points per game average while also dishing out a team-best 3.3 assists per game and a team-best 6.9 rebounds per game.
Riedel adds 14.0 ppg and 4.3 rpg with Sam Noland and Jason Montes adding 13.7 ppg, and 10.5 ppg, respectively.
About the Pioneers: Lewis & Clark (5-8, 1-3 NWC) heads to Olson Gymnasium looking to snap a four-game skid.
The Pios pummeled Northwest Indian 96-59 back on Dec. 12 before dropping games in Hawaii to Knox (68-66) and Dubuque (84-68) and league games last weekend at the hands of Whitworth (90-75) and Whitman (114-88).
A pair of Pios average in double figures with Mikeu Medlock Jr. leading the way with a 12.3 points per game average. Isaac Ticeson adds 10.8 ppg and 4.7 rebounds per game while Sam Henderson contributes 9.1 ppg.
Home Cooking: The Lutes have made Olson Gymnasium a tough venue for opposing teams over the past three plus seasons. PLU has won 28 of it's last 38 home games, a stretch dating back to the end of the 2019-2020 campaign.
The Lutes have been a tough team to play at home this season (5-2) and combined with volleyball and women's basketball are 21-3 inside Olson Gymnasium during the 2023-2024 academic year!
1 Weekend. 3 Championships.
Check out all the celebration highlights below as PLU volleyball, women's soccer, and men's soccer all clinched league titles on Senior Day weekend on Oct. 28-29.
Fall Sports Recap
NWC Preseason Coaches' Poll
Summer Lutes
PLU men's soccer student-athlete Elijah Singleton had a busy summer serving as an intern in a lab at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center. Learn more about his daily routine in the video below.
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 Home Game:
Jan. 13 vs. Pacific 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