Setting the Scene: The Pacific Lutheran University women's basketball squad closes out its first homestand of the Northwest Conference slate tonight, clashing against Oregon rival George Fox University inside Olson Gymnasium.
Series History: The Lutes and Bruins have met 64 times on the hardwood since the 1980-1981 season with George Fox holding a 46-18 edge in the series.
The two teams split the series last winter, each winning on their home court. Ashley Akamine had a double-double and a game sealing block inside Olson Gymnasium in a 61-58 victory back on Jan. 5, 2024 but the Bruins got revenge in early February with a 58-50 win in Newberg.
About the Lutes: PLU (3-8, 0-2 NWC) was without its top scorer as it opening Northwest Conference play on the road, dropping a pair of games in eastern Washington.
The Lutes suffered a heartbreaking 56-53 setback to Whitworth University in the conference opener on Friday night before falling 67-33 to 12th-ranked Whitman College the following evening.
A Jaida Wood three tied the game against Whitworth heading into the fourth quarter before a Tami Gallo-Paul free throw put the Lutes up one with 7:30 to go. The Pirates would take the lead just a few moments later and never trailed the rest of the way. A Brooke Samura jumper made it a one point game with 69 ticks left but the Lutes were unable to come any closer, misfiring on their final two shots of the night.
Wood was a big spark off the bench, scoring 15 points and grabbing eight rebounds in just 25 minutes of action, draining a season-high four threes while Taylor Schmidtke added 10 points and seven rebounds.
Last Saturday, the host and nationally-ranked Blues were on fire to open the second half, using a 22-2 run to pull away from the visiting Lutes. Brooke Samura led the way for the Lutes with nine points and six rebounds while also getting two steals and a block.
Sydney Reisner is the Lutes' leading scorer, averaging 13.8 points per game. Kasidy Javernick adds in 8.4 ppg, 4.4 rebounds per game, and a team-best 25 steals while Taylor Schmidtke contributes 7.1 ppg. Stacie Spahr headlines PLU's rebounding efforts, averaging 7.1 rpg.
About the Bruins: George Fox (10-2, 2-1 NWC) heads into the weekend on a two-game win streak and has won six of its last seven.
The lone blemish over the past two months was a 66-56 setback to Willamette University in the NWC opener on Jan. 3. Since then, GFU has rolled off a 66-56 win over Linfield University last Saturday and escaped Forest Grove with a 60-55 win over Pacific University on Tuesday night. The midweek thriller saw Hanne Hopkins go eight-for-nine from the floor, leading the way with a game-high 19 points and four assists.
Alyssa Wells is the Bruins' leading scorer, averaging 12.3 points per game while also grabbing 5.6 rebounds per game. Hanne Hopkins adds 10.4 ppg and 5.9 rpg while dishing out a team high 43 assists. Alexa Borter is the leading rebounder, hauling in 7.8 per game.
Giving Back to the Community
Earlier this fall, the PLU women's basketball program gave back to the local community, volunteering with Metro Parks Tacoma doing a restoration project at Catherine Ursich Park.
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 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.
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:
Jan. 24: Lewis & Clark College at 8 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:
Lindsey Clark