Setting the Scene: The Pacific Lutheran University men's basketball team returns home after a grueling five game road trip, welcoming Northwest Conference rival Willamette University to Olson Gymnasium.
Series History: This is the 130th all-time meeting between the Lutes and Bearcats with PLU holding a 70-59 edge in the series that dates back to the 1951-1952 season. The two conference rivals last met on Jan. 9 in Salem, Oregon, an 81-76 Willamette victory.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (10-10, 4-7 NWC) is hanging onto its postseason aspirations by a thread, sitting three games out of the fourth and final spot for the NWC Tournament with five games to play.
The Lutes had mixed success over the weekend, dropping an 85-68 road game in Portland to Lewis & Clark College despite a 23-point effort from Ben Tellez. The following night Zach Zuckerman came out of the woodwork, dropping 17 points and was one of six Lutes in double figures in a 96-70 thumping of George Fox University.
The Lutes had short rest, playing University of Puget Sound on Tuesday night. PLU trailed by as many as 13 before sending the game to overtime but Pacific Lutheran wasn't able to find a groove in the five minute overtime session, missing all five of its shots from the floor in a 74-70 setback to the Loggers.
Ben Tellez is the Lutes' leading scorer, averaging 16.3 points per game along with 3.8 rebounds per game, That includes a team-best 48 threes, shooting at a 39.7 percent clip from long range. Henry Smith adds 11.3 ppg and is another threat from distance, hitting 43 threes during the 2025-2026 campaign. Dom Perasso chips in 9.6 ppg and adds 4.1 rpg.
As a team, PLU is averaging 74.2 points per game and are shooting at a 43.5 percent clip, including a 36 percent clip from beyond the arc.
Road to 100: Head Coach Chad Murray collected his 100th career win at PLU in an 80-61 victory over Linfield University back on Jan. 17, becoming the sixth coach in school history to log 100 wins. Murray is the first since his predecessor Steve Dickerson did so (116 wins from 2006-2017). Ed Anderson (1975-1983) sits with 119 career wins while Marv Harshman (1945-1958), Gene Lundgaard (1958-1975), and Bruce Haroldson (1983-2002) are all members of the 200-win club at PLU with 235, 281, and 250 wins, respectively.
Lucky Seven: The Lutes are shooting for their seventh straight winning season under Head Coach Chad Murray. The PLU men's basketball program hasn't had seven consecutive winning seasons since doing so from 1965 to 1972 under the direction of PLU Hall of Fame Coach Gene Lundgaard.
Lutes in the Limelight: The Lutes have won three NWC Player of the Week awards of the season. Dom Perasso was recognized for his output during the California trip on Nov. 11 while Charlie Kapranos secured the award on Nov. 18 and again on Dec. 8.
About the Bearcats:Â Willamette (11-9, 6-5 NWC) heads into the weekend looking to shed a two-game skid. The Bearcats earned an 87-76 victory over George Fox on Jan. 27 before dropping a pair of tight games against the Whits. Willamette came up short 82-79 against Whitman College last Friday night before succumbing 93-85 to NWC leading Whitworth University.
Tanner Overby was unstoppable against Whitman, dropping 39 points but the visiting Blues outscored the hosts 47-36 in the second half to rally for the win. Overby scored 33 the following night, one of three Bearcats in double figures in a game they also led at the half.
Tanner Overby is the NWC's leading scorer, averaging 23.9 points per game while Anujan Tennathur chips in 10.3 ppg. Kellen Sanders is just shy of 10 a game, bringing a 9.3 ppg average to Tacoma. Tennathur adds a team-best 5.9 rebounds per game with Overby adding 4.6 rpg and a team-leading 3.9 assists per game.
Staying in State: The Lutes opened the season in California but then played 11 straight games inside the State of Washington. That included nine home games inside Olson Gymnasium— three of which to start Northwest Conference play. Sandwiched around those home games was a short trip down I-5 to face both Evergreen State College and Saint Martin's University.
NWC Coaches' Poll
This October, the Lutes were picked to finish tied for third in the league standings with crosstown nemesis University of Puget Sound, both collecting 44 points. NWC heavyweight Whitworth sat atop the poll with 64 points.
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 Game:
Feb. 20 vs. Whitworth at 7:30 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