Setting the Scene: The Lutes open up their final homestand tonight, welcoming in-state nemesis Whitworth to Olson Gymnasium.
Series History: The Lutes and Pirates have met 82 times on the hardwood with Whitworth holding a slim 44-38 advantage in the series that dates back to the 1980-1981 season.
The two teams last met on Jan. 20 with the Lutes falling short 64-56 to host Whitworth after the Pirates' Kimberly Dewey popped off for 28 points.
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 Pirates: Whitworth (8-15, 5-9 NWC) heads to Tacoma riding a two-game win streak after earning a pair of home victories over Oregon rivals Linfield and George Fox.
The Pirates had four players in double figures last Friday night, outscoring Linfield 17-11 in the second quarter en route to a 69-54 victory. Alissa Sanfo led the way with 14 points.
Sanfo and Kimberly Dewey packed a one-two punch for the Pirates last Saturday against George Fox, both scoring 19 points in the win. Sanfo was additionally all over the glass, hauling in 21 rebounds.
Whitworth outscored the Bruins 19-8 in the opening quarter but the script flipped in the second with GFU outscoring the Pirates 21-11. A layup from Alyssa Fitzgerald gave Whitworth a 30-29 lead at the halftime break, and advantage they'd keep the rest of the game.
Kimberly Dewey leads the Pirates and ranks second in the NWC in scoring, averaging 16.7 points per game. Alissa Sanfo is second on the team in scoring, dropping 9.5 ppg while leading the NWC in rebounding, hauling in 10.7 rebounds per game.
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:
Feb. 17 vs. Whitman at 4 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