Setting the Scene: Pacific Lutheran University's homestand resumes this weekend with the Lutes, winners of four straight, welcome in-state rival and first place Whitman College to Olson Gymnasium.
Series History: The Lutes and Blues have battled 130 times on the hardwood since the series began during the 1953-1954 season with Pacific Lutheran holding a 77-53 edge in the all-time series. Whitman has won the last five meetings including an 84-64 victory in Walla Walla back on Jan. 4.
That game saw the Lutes own a one point halftime lead but the host Blues had a huge second half, closing the game on a 21-5 run.
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 Blues: Whitman (8-9, 6-2 NWC) sprinted out of the gate to start conference play, sitting atop the league standings after winning its opening six games but has hit a few road bumps last week, dropping tight games to both Whitworth University and Linfield University.
Isaiah Amato had a game-high 25 points but it wasn't enough as the host Pirates took the lead with just over three minutes to play in a 69-64 thriller inside the WU Fieldhouse.
It was another tight one on Saturday with eight lead changes and six ties. Linfield's Cade Collins drilled a three with 2:19 remaining to give the visiting Wildcats the lead for good, hitting free throws down the stretch for the 63-61 victory.
Ali Efe Isik is Whitman's top scorer, dropping 13.5 points per game along with a team-best 5.8 rebounds per game. Isaiah Amato is the only other Blue in double figures, netting 12.6 ppg while Grant Hunt averages 9.9 ppg. Alex Pace has a team-best 53 assists while adding 9.2 ppg with a team-best 38 steals.
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. 1: Whitworth 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