Setting the Scene: The Pacific Lutheran University women's basketball team continues its four-game homestand this evening, hitting the halfway point of Northwest Conference play by welcoming Pacific University to Olson Gymnasium.
Series History: The Lutes and Boxers have met 86 times since the 1980-1981 season with the scales tilted 46-40 in favor of the Lutes. Pacific has owned the series as of late, winning the last seven meetings. That includes sweeping the series last winter, collecting a 59-44 victory in Tacoma on Jan. 13 and a 73-44 win in Forest Grove on Feb. 9.
About the Lutes: PLU (5-10, 2-4 NWC) returns home having won two of its last three games. The Lutes limited George Fox University to just two points in the second quarter in a 53-44 home victory back on Jan. 11.
The Lutes hit the road after that. Pacific Lutheran was tied with University of Puget Sound at halftime three days later but was outscored 19-7 in the third quarter in a 60-46 setback to the Loggers, despite a 20-point effort from Brooke Samura.
PLU rebounded last Friday, using a 22-3 run to erase an eight point deficit en route to a 68-56 road win over Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. The Lutes outscored the Bearcats in each of the final three quarters while getting 16 points from both Sydney Reisner and Samura.
Sydney Reisner is the Lutes' leading scorer, averaging 12.2 points per game while Brooke Samura contributes 8.1 ppg and 5.1 rebounds per game. Kasidy Javernick nets 7.5 ppg while Stacie Spahr is the squad's top rebounder with 7.4 rebounds per game.
Lock Down D: Defense has been a hallmark of the Lutes this season. The Lutes rank second in the NWC in both rebounding and offensive rebounds per game while sitting third in the league in field goal percentage defense.
That defense put the clamps on George Fox during PLU's last homestand, holding the Bruins to just two points in the second quarter. It's the fewest points scored by an NCAA team against the Lutes in a period since women's college basketball moved from halves to quarters during the 2015-2016 season. It's also the third best effort in a quarter with PLU holding Northwest Indian College to just one point in a blowout 85-35 win back on Dec. 15, 2023 while the Lutes pitched a second quarter shutout of NWIC on Nov. 12, 2021, outscoring the Eagles 27-0 in that 10 minute segment in a 93-20 victory.
About the Boxers: Pacific (6-9, 2-4 NWC) busted out of a three-game funk last Saturday with a 66-59 victory at home over Whitworth University.
That game saw four ties and three lead changes with Pacific taking a 34-30 lead into halftime. The Boxers never trailed in the second half, leading by as many as 12 points to sink the Pirates. Emily Holman was dialed in during the win, scoring 17 points while also having five rebounds and three steals.
Pacific's slide prior to the Whitworth win included dropping games at the hands of George Fox University (60-55), University of Puget Sound (80-62), and Whitman College (55-48).
Emily Holman and Shaade Williams provide a one-two punch for the Boxers both averaging 11.1 points per game. Holsan additionally offers 5.6 rebounds per game and a team-high 46 steals. Brooklyn Burke averages 8.3 ppg while Lindsay Barden has a team-best 42 assists.
Luteville Highlights
Check out the highlights from the last home weekend in Luteville.
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. 31: Whitman 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