Setting the Scene: The Pacific Lutheran University men's basketball team is riding a four-game win streak and opens up a two-game homestand tonight, welcoming non-conference opponent Warner Pacific University to Olson Gymnasium.
Series History: The Lutes and Knights have met just five times since the series began during the 1985-1986 campaign with PLU holding a 3-2 edge in those games.
That includes winning the last two meetings, including a 71-68 victory in Portland during the 2023-2024 season and a 77-71 Lute win inside Olson Gymnasium in the 2022-2023 season.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (4-2) dropped its opening two games in California but has been red-hot since returning to the State of Washington, winning its last four games.
PLU's streak began in the home opener on Nov. 14, getting 29 points and 11 rebounds from Charlie Kapranos in a 72-58 win over Pomon-Pitzer Colleges. The Lutes canned 17 threes a week later in an 81-67 victory over University of Dallas before taking down Nebraska Wesleyan University 75-57 the following night.
The Lutes hit the road last week, going down I-5 to face in-state nemesis The Evergreen State College. PLU was up big early but needed to rally for a 77-73 win, getting things done at the charity stripe down the stretch from Caleb Berry.
Four Lutes head into the weekend averaging in double figures with Dom Perasso leading the way with a 16.3 points per game average. Ben Tellez adds 15.3 ppg while Charlie Kparanos offers 13.0 ppg and a team-high 9.5 rebounds per game, and 5.3 assists per game. Henry Smith adds 11.3 ppg. The Lutes are shooting 38.1 percent from beyond the arc this fall, averaging over 10 made threes a game through the opening six non-league games.
Road to 100: Head Coach Chad Murray currently sits four wins shy of 100 for his career as the Lutes' head coach. Now in his ninth year for the Lutes, Murray sits at 96 wins at PLU and 167 overall after collecting 71 over eight seasons at Cornell College in Iowa.
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 for his exploits in the win over Pomona-Pitzer. Perasso captured his second weekly honor earlier this week after having a big night against Evergreen State.
About the Knights:Â Warner Pacific (4-5, 0-2 Cascade Collegiate Conference) heads to Olson Gymnasium looking to snap a two-game slide. The Knights opened the 2025-2026 campaign by dropping games against University of Montana Western (90-66), Montana Tech University (84-58) and Emry-Riddle Aeronautical University (89-77) before ripping off four straight wins. Three of the four came at the expense of PLU's Northwest Conference rivals, claiming wins over Willamette University (103-100), Lewis & Clark College (73-72), and Linfield University (73-71).
The Knights opened CCC play this past weekend, coming up short at home against both Corban University (76-68) and Bushnell University (86-76).
Jurrien Sparks leads the offensive attack for the Knights, one of four averaging in double figures. Sparks averages 15.4 points per game while hauling down 4.7 rebounds per game. Chad Napoleon contributes 14.1 ppg with Josh Lincoln adding 14.0 ppg. Terrin Dickey is the fourth WPU player in double figures, netting 11.7 ppg and a team-high 5.6 rebounds per game.
Staying in State: The Lutes opened the season in California but is in the midst of playing 11 straight games inside the State of Washington. That includes nine home games inside Olson Gymnasium— three of which to start Northwest Conference play. Sandwiched around those home games will be 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:
Dec. 15 vs. Douglas at 6 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