Setting the Scene: The Lutes close out their brief two-game homestand this evening, welcoming Oregon rival Linfield University to Olson Gymnasium. Saturday's game caps off an extended home stretch for the Pacific Lutheran University women's basketball program that has played eight of its last nine at home.
Series History: Pacific Lutheran has battled Linfield 90 times on the hardwood since the 1980-1981 season with the scales tilted 54-36 in favor of the Lutes. The Wildcats have won the last two meetings and five of the last six. That includes a 58-38 win inside Olson last year on Jan. 10 and a 64-53 triumph in McMinnville on Feb. 8.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (1-12, 0-4 NWC) hit the road for the first time in conference play last Friday night, coming up short 80-61 in Salem, Oregon against rival Willamette University.
That game saw the Bearcats come out of the gate swinging, owning a 25-12 lead after one quarter of play in an opening 10 minutes that saw host Willamette shoot at a 62.5 percent clip (10-for-16) while the Lutes were ice cold, going just three-for-15 (20 percent) from the floor.
Sydney Reisner led the Lutes offensively, providing 19 points while Lilli Williams added 11 with six rebounds. Emi Wada tallied seven points and seven assists.
That game came off the heels of a tight 69-65 setback to University of Puget Sound on Tuesday, Ja. 6, a game the trailed by a single point in the final minute of regulation.
Sydney Reisner continues to pace the Lutes, averaging 13.7 points per game and hitting a team-best 24 threes. Reisner is shooting at a 32.0 percent clip from beyond the arc and ranks second in the conference in scoring during league play, averaging 19.5 ppg through the opening four games of the conference campaign.
Lilli Williams is the only other Lute averaging in double figures, registering 10.6 ppg and 5.1 rebounds per game while Ghadir Ramadan leads the team with 5.7 rpg. Kylie Griffin adds 8.2 ppg while Emi Wada is the top distributor with 45 assists on the season.
About the Wildcats: Linfield (10-2, 3-0 NWC) heads into the weekend riding a six game win streak. The NWC preseason favorites opened conference play back on Nov. 30 with a dominating 91-64 win over Pacific University before falling at home 57-32 to University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh five days later in a defensive slugfest. Since then, the Wildcats have been on a roll, collecting non-league wins over Simpson University (68-39), Corban University (67-57), McMurry University (54-51), and Knox College (82-59).
Linfield's run continues to start the new year, taking down Whitman College 61-52 on Jan. 9 before securing a 59-39 home win over Whitworth University last Saturday.
The Wildcats have three players averaging in double figures with Tana Hoekema leading the way with an 11.4 points per game average. Hoekema also adds 5.9 rebounds per game while Amelia Solt has hit a team-best 22 threes and contributes 11.0 ppg. Eve Burke is the third Linfield player in double figures, dropping 10.6 ppg with Allie Mead at 9.6 ppg. Miki Vermeulen leads the team on the glass, hauling in 7.8 rebounds per game.
Linfield is averaging 67.0 points per game with an average scoring margin of +11.6. The Wildcats are shooting at a 41.7 percent clip and are enjoying a +6.6 rebounding advantage.
1K Lute: Lute senior Sydney Reisner heads into the weekend with 905 career points and is looking to become the first Lute 1,000-point scorer since Samantha Potter (1,367 points) in 2014. Reisner has 12 games to gain the remaining 95 points, needing to average 7.9 points per game.
NWC Coaches' Poll
The Lutes look to defy expectations this fall after getting pegged to place ninth in the conference standings in the annual NWC Preseason Coaches' Poll. PLU collected 11 points in the poll, falling six shy of eighth ranked Lewis & Clark College. Linfield University is the preseason favorite with 60 points with crosstown rival University of Puget Sound second with 56 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. 7 vs. Willamette at 3 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