Setting the Scene: The Pacific Lutheran University men's hoops squad is back at home inside Olson Gymnasium, opening up its Northwest Conference home slate against Oregon rival Linfield University.
Series History: The Lutes and Wildcats are meeting for the 146th time tonight with the scales tilted 80-65 in favor of PLU in a series that dates all the way back to the 1939-1940 season.
PLU has won three in a row against the Cats, sweeping the series last season. That included a 73-66 victory in McMinnville and a 75-64 triumph inside Olson Gymnasium last January.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (4-7, 1-1 NWC) opened up conference play last weekend, splitting a pair of road games in eastern Washington against the Whits.
The Lutes opened the New Year with a bang, upsetting 14th-ranked and previously undefeated Whitworth University 75-73 on Friday night behind a monster day from Ben Tellez. The sharpshooter dropped 23 points and had four assists, draining five three-pointers in the game.
PLU trailed by one at the half and never trailed after Mack Hepper drained a trey with 7:02 remaining in the game. It was a one possession game for the final four minutes of play with a Miles Nash steal sealing the win for the visitors. Brandin Riedel had 13 points while Mack Hepper was the third Lute in double figures with 10 off the bench. Julian Brown was a rebounding machine with 11 on the night.
PLU's fortunes were reversed on Saturday, owning a one point halftime lead before running out of gas in an 84-64 setback to Whitman College in Walla Walla.
Julian Brown headlined the day with 13 points and five boards with Nash adding 11. The Lutes trailed by just four points with just over seven minutes to go but the Blues closed the game on a 21-5 run to seal the win.
Miles Nash is the Lutes' leading scorer through the opening 11 games of the season, dropping 12.6 points per game while also chipping in 4.7 rebounds per game. The guard additionally leads the team in both assists (36) and steals (16). Brandin Riedel is the team's second leading scorer, dropping 10.9 ppg and a team-high 5.8 rpg. Riedel's a sure shot, shooting 61.0 percent from the floor this season. Dom Perasso nets 9.9 ppg with Ben Tellez adding 9.6 ppg. Tellez, Henry Smith, and Mack Hepper have been threats from beyond the arc, combining for 55 treys this year.
About the Wildcats: Linfield (4-7, 1-1 NWC) opened the New Year last weekend by splitting its first two conference games of the season. The Wildcats trailed by 14 points at halftime on the road last Friday, eventually falling 91-72 to host Pacific University before collecting a 79-71 win over George Fox University the next evening inside Ted Wilson Gymnasium in McMinnville.
Dayton Magaña led the way in the win with 27 points, draining six threes on the night with Cade Collins adding 21 points and six boards.
Cade Collins is Linfield's leading scorer in the first 11 games of 24-25, netting 12.2 points per game and a team-leading 16 steals. Dayton Magaña is the only other Wildcat averaging in double figures, pumping out 11.4 ppg. Max Juhala adds 8.5 ppg while Cayden Lowenbach is the squad's top rebounder, hauling in 4.4 rebounds per game.
Home Sweet Home: Olson Gymnasium is a tough venue for opposing teams with the Lutes boasting a 32-16 record inside the facility since the 2020-2021 season.
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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. 11: George Fox at 4 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:
Bridger Hanis