Setting the Scene: The Pacific Lutheran University women's basketball team closes out the 2025-2026 season tonight, honoring seniors Emi Wada and Sydney Reisner prior to the season finale against in-state rival Whitman College.
Series History: The Lutes and Blues have met 89 times since the 1980-1981 campaign with the scales tilted 58-31 in favor of Whitman. The Blues took the first meeting of the season 89-50 in Walla Walla back on Jan. 23, a game that Emi Wada scored a season-high 14 points.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (2-21, 1-13 NWC) wrapped up its road schedule last weekend, falling 70-51 at Linfield University and 69-52 at Pacific University.
Ghadir Ramadan led the Lutes against NWC leading Linfield, scoring 13 points in a game the hosts earned separation in both the first and third quarters to collect the win. On Saturday, the Boxers led wire-to-wire in a game Sydney Reisner and Lilli Williams combined for 30 points. Reisner tallied 18 points, her 16th game in double figures, while Williams chipped in 12.
Sydney Reisner leads the team in scoring, averaging 13.8 points per game and has hit a team-best 32 threes on the season. Lilli Williams adds 10.0 ppg and 4.5 rebounds per game, tying for the team lead in steals with Reisner with 27. Kylie Griffin adds 7.2 ppg while Ghadir Ramadan is the top rebounder, collecting 5.5 rpg. Emi Wada is the top distributor, dishing out 65 assists on the season.
About the Blues: Whitman (17-6, 12-2 NWC) remains in the hunt for the conference title, sitting one game behind NWC leaders Linfield University heading into the final weekend of the season. The Blues have been red-hot since mid-January, rattling off nine straight wins after dropping a 68-59 decision to Lewis & Clark College back on Jan. 16.
The Blues are hitting the road after a successful three-game homestand that saw the team grind out three wins. Whitman avenged an early season loss with a 58-53 win over Linfield on Feb. 7 before outlasting George Fox University in a 37-34 slugfest last Friday night. It was another revenge game last Saturday, slipping by Lewis & Clark 67-58 to even the season series.
The win over George Fox saw the suffocating Whitman defense limit the Bruins to just 10 points over the second and third quarters, holding the visitors to shooting just 29.3 percent from the floor. Holly Morgan was the hero for the Blues on offense, accounting for 18 of the team's 37 points.
Whitman opened up a double digit lead on the River Otters in the first quarter the next night and maintain a cushion the rest of the way in a night four Blues finished in double figures including a double-double from Emma Lena Baker (11 points and 10 rebounds).
Holly Morgan is one of three Blues averaging in double figures, dropping 12.2 points per game while also leading the team in assists (56) and steals (51). Emma Lena Baker adds 11.0 ppg and 5.7 rebounds per game with Morgan Montgomery offering 10.3 ppg. Briana Andrade adds 9.0 ppg and leads the team in rebounding with 5.8 rpg.
1K Lute: Lute senior Sydney Reisner made history in the first half on Feb. 6 against University of Puget Sound, becoming just the 12th Lute to eclipse 1,000 points and the first to do so since Samantha Potter during the 2013-2014 season.
Reisner's 1,044 points sit 11th on the all-time scoring list and is just eight points shy of tying 2024 PLU Hall of Fame Inductee Becky Franza (1,052 points) who played from 1998 to 2002.
More Milestones: Sydney Reisner is ranked in the career top 10 in several stat categories for the Lutes. Reisner ranks fourth all-time in both three-point field goals attempted (394) and free throw percentage (75.3) and sits fifth in three-pointers made (131), needing just five to move into third place. Reisner also ranks seventh all-time in field goal attempts (869) and is 10th in both free throws made (213) and attempted (283).
Thank You Seniors
Today we celebrate seniors Emi Wada and Sydney Reisner who have both been with the program over the last four seasons. The duo have combined to play over 5,200 minutes over that span and have been leaders in the program on and off the court.
How Sweet it Is: This year the Lutes honored the 20th anniversary of the 2005-2006 PLU women's basketball team that won the NWC title and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16. The Lutes finished the season with a 24-4 overall record and a 14-2 mark in conference action. PLU's 24 wins that season still stands as a program single season record. PLU headed into the postseason with a six game win streak and opened the NCAA Tournament with a 72-54 victory over Chapman University. PLU skated past crosstown rival University of Puget Sound 62-50 in the second round before getting edged 76-72 by Hardin-Simmons University in the round of 16.
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.
Thanks for Supporting the Lutes all season!
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