Setting the Scene: The Lutes honor seniors Ava Edmonds and Kaylie Bracy this evening as PLU closed out the 2023-2024 season inside Olson Gymnasium against in-state rival Whitman.
Series History: In-state rivals PLU and Whitman have battled 85 times on the hardwood since the 1980-1981 campaign with the Blues owning a 54-31 advantage in the all-time series. The two teams last met on Jan. 21 in Walla Walla with host Whitman earning a 60-42 wire-to-wire victory.
Ashley Akamine led the Lutes in Walla Walla with 12 points and eight boards with Sydney Reisner adding 10.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (11-12, 3-11 NWC) wrapped up its final road trip last weekend, splitting a pair of games in Oregon. The Lutes came up short 73-44 to Pacific on Friday night before downing Lewis & Clark 58-46 the following afternoon.
On Friday, a second quarter scoring surge from the Boxers proved the deciding factor, scoring 24 unanswered to secure the win. Ashley Akamine led the Lutes, finishing the night with 15 points, shooting six-for-eight from the floor.
PLU scored the final 14 points on Saturday, powering past the Pioneers 58-46. Host Lewis & Clark led 46-44 with 4:54 left in the game before the Lutes ripped off the final 14, getting six points apiece from Sydney Reisner and Kasidy Javernick. A Reisner trey sparked the Lutes' final run, giving the Lutes the lead with 4:32 to go. Reisner finished the night with 21 points while Javernick dropped 15 with eight rebounds.
Reisner paces the Lutes' offense, averaging 11.6 points per game while Ashley Akamine and Ava Edmonds averaged 9.1 ppg. Brandie Tobin leads the Lutes on the glass, netting 4.8 rebounds per game while dishing out a team-high 83 assists on the year.
Olson Magic: Luteville fans have made Olson Gymnasium one of the toughest venues for opposing teams to play in this season. Across three sports— women's basketball, men's basketball, and volleyball— the Lutes won 21 straight to open the academic year.
PLU women's hoops is currently 7-4 this season at home.
Messin' with Texas: The Lutes visited the Lone Star State over the Thanksgiving break and came away with a trio of wins. PLU's good fortunes began the day before Thanksgiving, draining a school single game record 14 treys in a 50-47 victory over host Texas Lutheran University.
The Lutes knocked off Concordia University 75-67 on Black Friday before closing the trip the following day with a 53-37 thrashing of Southwestern University. The three victories was part of a larger four-game win streak for the Lutes, the program's biggest streak since stringing together seven in a row during the 2018-2019 campaign.
Noteworthy Non-League Lutes: PLU's eight wins in non-conference play this winter is the program's most since racking up 10 during the 2005-06 season and the most regular season non-conference victories since the 1994-1995 campaign.
About the Blues: Whitman (18-5, 10-4 NWC) heads into the weekend riding a four game win streak and sits in a three-way tie with Puget Sound and Pacific for second place in the conference standings.
After dropping a two-point heartbreaker 54-52 to Pacific on Jan. 27, the Blues have been all smiles, taking down Whitworth 59-46 three days later before cruising past George Fox (66-47) and Linfield (59-48) last weekend.
Whitman had three players in double figures in the win over Linfield, including a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds from Korin Baker in a game the Blues shot just 37.3 percent from the field but were able to stroke it from beyond the arc, sinking 10 threes and shooting at a 55.6 percent clip from distance.
Korin Baker leads the NWC in scoring, dropping 16.9 points per game while also grabbing 9.1 rebounds per game while Carly Martin drops 14.3 ppg. Lindsay Drango averages a shade under 10 a game, netting 9.8 ppg.
Thank You Seniors!
"Ava's impact on our program cannot be overstated. She is a leader on the court and in the locker room as well as serving as a coach on the floor. She embodies what it means to be a Lute, and we are so proud to be led by her," -HC Lee Aduddell on Ava Edmonds
"KK is such a vibrant and intelligent young woman who adds so much to our program. Through incredible adversity she has persevered in a way that inspires all of us to pursue our passions with our whole hearts. We are better off for having KK as part of our program," -HC Lee Aduddell on Kaylie Bracy
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.
Fans, thanks for all your support this winter!
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