Setting the Scene: Pacific Lutheran University closes out its four-game homestand tonight, welcoming in-state nemesis 17th-ranked Whitworth University to Olson Gymnasium, a team that entered the weekend tied atop the Northwest Conference standings.
Series History: The Lutes and Pirates have 165 times on the hardwood with the series that dates back to the 1946-1947 season tiled 96-69 in favor of Whitworth.
PLU had won the last two meetings and three of the last four. The Lutes slipped past Whitworth 75-72 last season inside Olson Gymnasium back on Feb. 16, 2024 and opened NWC play this winter with a 75-73 victory back on Jan. 3 over the then undefeated Pirates in Spokane.
January's upset win was tied at 69 before Ben Tellez drilled a three with 1:57 remaining. PLU never trailed the rest of the way, scraping out the two point victory.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (8-9, 5-3 NWC) enters the second half of league play sitting a game out of first place and riding a four-game win streak.
The Lutes' winning ways began on Jan. 14, earning a hard fought 71-69 road victory over University of Puget Sound. Three days later it was a 76-73 triumph at the expense of host Willamette University.
PLU took care of business at home last weekend, getting 19 points off the bench from Miles Nash in a 71-67 win over Lewis & Clark College before blasting Pacific University 77-60 last Saturday. PLU's win over the Boxers saw the home Lutes enjoy a 13-point halftime lead while Emmett Holt had a career day with 20 points and 10 rebounds, sinking all six of his three-point attempts. Holt was one of four Lutes to end the night in double figures in the blowout win.
PLU ranks second in the NWC in both rebounding margin (+4.5) and three-point percentage (37.2), with the latter also ranking 36th nationally among the 407 NCAA Division III programs.
Miles Nash continues to lead the Lute scoring attack, averaging 13.3 points per game while also leading the team in both assists (53) and steals (19). Brandin Riedel is the lone Lute to start all 17 games, owning a 10.5 ppg average and a team-best 5.5 rebounds per game. Riedel is additionally shooting 58.5 percent from the floor.
Ben Tellez averages 9.8 ppg while Henry Smith chips in 6.6 ppg and is deadly behind the arc, hitting 42.4 percent of his threes.
About the Pirates: Whitworth (15-2, 6-2 NWC) heads into the weekend sitting tied atop the league standings with Whitman College. The nationally-ranked Pirates have won three straight and six of their last seven games since dropping the conference opener to the Lutes in early January.
The Pirates' lone blemish since the PLO game was an 87-81 setback on the road to George Fox University back on Jan. 17. That game saw GFU's DJ Evans hit a three with 10:35 remaining to break a 59-59 tie. The host Bruins would play with the lead the rest of the way with a one possession lead with two minutes to go mushrooming to a nine-point advantage down the stretch.
Whitworth rebounded with an 82-74 road win over Pacific the following night before giving Whitman its first loss of the league slate last Tuesday with a 69-64 victory. Whitwoth overpowered Linfield University last Saturday, enjoying an 18-point halftime edge in a 77-62 blowout home win.
Statistically, Whitworth ranks 15th in the nation in field goal percentage (48.6), 22nd in three-point percentage (38.0), and 32nd in scoring margin (+12.4).
Three Pirates boast double digit scoring production with Garrett Long spearheading the attack with a 16.3 points per game average and a team-high 56 assists. Jake Holtz contributes 15.5 ppg and a team-best 6.7 rebounds per game while Stephen Behil tallies 12.4 ppg. Diego Jaques is just shy of double figures, netting 9.9 ppg.
Home Sweet Home: Olson Gymnasium is a tough venue for opposing teams with the Lutes boasting a 34-18 record inside the facility since the 2020-2021 season.
Luteville Highlights
Check out the highlights from PLU's last homestand against Lewis & Clark and Pacific.
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:
Feb. 11: Puget Sound 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:
Theint Han