Setting the Scene: The Lutes finish off their four game homestand tonight with a showdown against Oregon rival Pacific.
Series History: It's a series that dates back to the 1939-1940 season with the Lutes enjoying a commanding 91-42 edge in the series.
PLU has won five of the last six meetings with the two teams splitting the season series last winter. The Lutes ran away with a 90-76 victory inside Olson back on Jan. 21 but the Boxers exacted revenge on Feb. 17 with an 86-75 win in Forest Grove.
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 Boxers: Pacific (8-6, 2-3 NWC) heads into the weekend having won five of its last six games.
The Boxers' lone blemish during that stretch was an 85-76 setback to George Fox last Saturday. Surrounding that loss was wins over LeTourneau (92-86), Northwest Indian (119-71), Walla Walla (81-70), Puget Sound (77-71), and Willamette (96-87).
Aagainst Willamette on Tuesday, the Boxers piled on 53 points in the opening stanza and held on down the stretch in a game that Devin Fortune scored 26 points and had 14 rebounds.
Devin Fortune is the Boxers' leading scorer, dropping 16.1 points per game while also leading the team in both rebounds (7.3 per game) and blocks (11). Lucas Winkler adds 14.5 ppg with Jake Blazona chipping om 11.1 ppg.
Pacific has hit 140 threes on the season, shooting at a 36.6 percent clip from distance. Truman Young is the top Boxer from beyond the arc with 29 treys in 2023-2024.
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. 23 vs. 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