Setting the Scene: The Pacific Lutheran University men's basketball team caps off its two-game homestand tonight, battling Oregon rival Linfield University. The game wraps up a friendly opening stretch to Northwest Conference play that saw the Lutes play five of their first six league games inside Olson Gymnasium.
Series History: This will be the 148th all-time meeting between the NWC rivals since the series began during the 1939-1940 campaign. The Lutes currently hold an 81-66 edge in the series and have won four of the last five meetings.
The two teams split the series last winter with the visiting Wildcats collecting a 79-78 overtime victory on Jan. 10 inside Olson Gymnasium before the Lutes earned revenge with a 77-73 win in McMinnville on Feb. 8.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (7-6, 1-3 NWC) opened Northwest Conference play with a 75-73 win over George Fox University but its been tough sledding since, dropping games at the hands of Lewis & Clark College (73-59), University of Puget Sound (66-61), and Willamette University (81-76).
The Lutes trailed by as many as 25 points in the second half against Puget Sound before whittling the gap to just three with seconds to go in the game. Unfortunately, the Loggers did just enough down the stretch to run out the clock and collect the win. On Saturday, the Lutes led by three at the halftime break but the Bearcats pushed ahead in the second half, leading by as many as 13.
Ben Tellez drilled a three with 26 seconds left to make it a three-point game but the Lutes were unable to get any closer as a pair of Bearcats free throws was more than enough to stave off the comeback. Charlie Kapranos led the Lutes with 16 points on a night the Lutes held a 40-35 rebounding edge. Host Willamette won the turnover battle after the Lutes committed 21, helping give the Bearcats a 23-17 edge in points off turnovers and a 15-2 gap in fast break scoring.
Charlie Kapranos leads the Lutes in several statistical categories, including scoring (14.5 points per game), rebounding (8.9 rebounds per game), assists (4.4 assists per game), and blocks (six). Ben Tellez adds 13.6 ppg with Henry Smith offering 10.9 ppg. Tellez and Smith are both sharpshooters for PLU, both leading the team with 28 threes on the season. Dom Perasso is just under 10 a game, averaging 9.5 ppg.
As a team, PLU is averaging 74.9 ppg and is shooting at a 43.9 percent clip, including hitting 35.3 percent of its shots from beyond the arc.
Road to 100: Head Coach Chad Murray currently sits one win shy of 100 for his career as the Lutes' head coach. Now in his ninth year for the Lutes, Murray sits at 99 wins at PLU and 170 overall after collecting 71 over eight seasons at Cornell College in Iowa.
Lucky Seven: The Lutes are shooting for their seventh straight winning season under Head Coach Chad Murray. The PLU men's basketball program hasn't had seven consecutive winning seasons since doing so from 1965 to 1972 under the direction of PLU Hall of Fame Coach Gene Lundgaard.
Lutes in the Limelight: The Lutes have won three NWC Player of the Week awards of the season. Dom Perasso was recognized for his output during the California trip on Nov. 11 while Charlie Kapranos secured the award on Nov. 18 and again on Dec. 8.
About the Wildcats:Â Linfield (3-8, 1-2 NWC) heads into the weekend searching for its first road win of the season. The Wildcats have been excellent in McMinnville, winning three of their four home games but its been a different story away from Tad Wilson Gymnasium, dropping all seven games outside the McMinnville city limits.
Linfield split a pair of games last weekend, securing a 65-62 victory over Whitman College before ending on the wrong side of an 83-66 scoreline against NWC preseason favorite Whitworth University. Last Friday's game against the Blues was tied with 22 seconds to go before Dayton Magana drained the winning three at the buzzer for the three-point win.
Dayton Magana is Linfield's leading scorer, averaging 13.6 points per game and shooting 40.3 percent from three-point range with a team-best 31 threes. Nalu Vargas adds 10.2 ppg and a team-best 5.5 assists per game with Garret Callsen adding 10.0 ppg and 4.8 rpg. Chae Bennett drops 8.8 ppg and is the team leader in assists with 4.0 per game.
Staying in State: The Lutes opened the season in California but is in the midst of playing 11 straight games inside the State of Washington. That includes nine home games inside Olson Gymnasium— three of which to start Northwest Conference play. Sandwiched around those home games will be a short trip down I-5 to face both Evergreen State College and Saint Martin's University.
NWC Coaches' Poll
This October, the Lutes were picked to finish tied for third in the league standings with crosstown nemesis University of Puget Sound, both collecting 44 points. NWC heavyweight Whitworth sat atop the poll with 64 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. 7 vs. Willamette at 5 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