Setting the Scene: The Lutes continue their three-game homestand tonight, welcoming in-state rival Northwest Indian College.
Series History: The Lutes and Eagles are meeting for the fifth time ever in a series that first began during the 2015-2016 season. PLU is 4-0 against the Eagles, including a 90-56 victory the last time they met on Nov. 28, 2021.
PLU set a school record for points scored in the first all-time meeting back in 2015, downing NW Indian 130-52.
About the Lutes:Â PLU (6-1) opened up its three game homestand in style on Sunday afternoon inside Olson Gymnasium, draining its opening 10 shots of the game in a 96-52 blowout of Douglas College.
The visiting Canadians scored on the game's opening possession but it was all Lutes (6-1) after that, with a Brandin Riedel layup 45 seconds into the game sparking a 20-0 Lute run. PLU was unstoppable during the 20-point scoring binge, hitting all nine of its shots from the field while generating four Royal turnovers. Riedel tallied nine of the Lutes' 20 points during the run with Sam Noland finishing it off with a three with 15:09 left in the opening stanza.
Pacific Lutheran's edge ballooned to 36 on an Ashton Rico layup with 4:23 left in the first half while a Noland three right before the half gave the hosts a comfortable 60-27 edge at the halftime intermission in an opening 20 minutes that saw the Lutes scorch the nets, shooting 70.6 percent (24-for-34) from the floor and 64.3 percent (nine-for-14) from three-point range.
The Lutes led by at least 30 the entire second half en route to the 44-point victory.
"I thought we approached this game really well. The guys came out with a purpose and were really intentional about defending at a high level. That allowed us to play really confidently on the offensive end especially in the first half," said Head Coach Chad Murray.
Riedel racked up 18 points and six rebounds in just 19 minutes of action, hitting eight of his nine shots on the day. Noland matched Riedel's offensive production with 18 points, draining four treys. Jackson Reisner came off the bench and scored 11 in his season debut while Miles Nash had eight points and a team-high nine assists.
PLU won the turnover battle 20-11 and outrebounded the Royals 40-29. The Lutes ended the night shooting at a 54.1 percent clip (40-for-74), including 37.5 percent (12-for-32) from beyond the arc.
"It was nice to get Jackson back on the court for us. He's had a long road of recovery to get to this point. He did what he does and we were energized and inspired by watching him."
The win was the Lutes' biggest offensive output of the year and the second time this winter cracking the 90-point barrier. PLU's 96 points on Sunday was it's best offensive effort since piling on 102 in a home victory over Willamette University last January.
Sam Noland leads the Lutes this season, averaging 16.9 points per game. The senior additionally averages 3.4 rebounds per game and on Monday was tabbed the NWC Player of the Week.
Brandin Riedel chips in 13.6 jpg and 4.1 rpg while Miles Nash adds 13.1 ppg, a team-best 6.0 rpg, along with 3.6 assists per game. Jackson Reisner adds 11.0 ppg while Jason Montes contributes 9.4 ppg.
About the Eagles: Northwest Indian (2-14) looks to snap a 14-game slide as the Eagles take on their second NWC opponent in as many games.
NWIC fell 96-59 to Lewis & Clark on Tuesday night in Portland, a game that saw Blaine Begay pace the Eagles with 15 points while Anthony Snow added 12.
Northwest Indian opened the season with a 97-88 victory over Big Bend CC on Oct. 21 before outlasting Christian Faith 92-89 eight days later. Since then its been tough sledding for the Eagles who have placed teams from all three NCAA divisions, the NAIA, and junior college ranks.
NWIC dropped a pair of nail biters at the Wenatchee Valley Tournament in early December— falling short 77-74 to Grays Harbor and 79-75 to Green River.
Home Cooking: The Lutes have made Olson Gymnasium a tough venue for opposing teams over the past three plus seasons. PLU has won 26 of it's last 34 home games, a stretch dating back to the end of the 2019-2020 campaign.
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:
Dec. 19 vs. Portland Bible at 7 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