Setting the Scene: The Lutes resume their four game homestand today, squaring off against Oregon rival Willamette.
Series History: The Lutes and Bearcats are meeting for the 125th time since the series first began in 1951-52 with PLU holding a 68-56 edge in the all-time series.
PLU has won six straight against Willamette, putting up triple figures in two of the last three meetings. The Lutes posted an 89-61 win over the Bearcats last time they met back on Feb. 11 in Salem while cruising to a 102-86 win in Olson Gymnasium last season back on Jan. 13.
About the Lutes: PLU (8-3, 1-1 NWC) opened the season by winning eight of its first nine games before dropping a pair of games last week in California to close out the calendar year.
The Lutes piled on the points in their final three non-conference home games, averaging a margin of victory of 43 points in blowouts over Douglas (Canada), Northwest Indian (Wash.), and Portland Bible (Ore.).
Against Chapman last Thursday the Lutes led by one with just over 11 minutes left and trailed by one possession with 3:03 remaining but the Panthers proved too much over the final minutes with the hosts earning the 83-72 victory.
Two days later, it was a big second half from the hosts that doomed the Lutes, falling 87-62 to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.
PLU ranks third nationally (out of 412 teams in NCAA Division III) in field goal percentage, draining an NWC-leading 50.5 percent of its shots.
The Lutes rank first in the NWC in scoring defense, allowing just 67.7 points per game and sit second in the league in scoring margin at +12.2.
Individually, Brandin Riedel leads the NWC in field goal percentage, hitting 64.8 percent of his shots while Miles Nash sits third in the conference in rebounds (6.1 per game), and fourth in assists per game (3.5).
About the Bearcats: Willamette (6-4, 1-1 NWC) heads into the weekend with a four-game win streak.
The Bearcats were outclassed 101-71 in the conference opener on Dec. 1 by Whitworth but have been on a roll since, earning wins at the expense of Whitman (91-84), Douglas (89-60), Misericordia (101-92) and Portland Bible (129-44).
Four Bearcats average double-digit production on the offensive end, led by Jack Boydell's 16.3 points per game. Josiah Frank comes off the bench and adds 14.6 ppg while Ryder Hsiung contributes 12.9 ppg. Caleb Moore dishes a team-best 4.4 assists per game while adding 10.1 ppg.
D'Ante Dean leads Willamette on the glass with 8.1 rebounds per game while Kahiau Bruhn hauls in 6.6 rpg.
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 36 home games, a stretch dating back to the end of the 2019-2020 campaign.
The Lutes haven't lost at home this season (5-0) and combined with volleyball and women's basketball are 20-0 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. 12 vs. Lewis & Clark 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