Setting the Scene: The Pacific Lutheran University men's basketball team closes out a brief two-game homestand tonight, welcoming Canadian rival Douglas College to Olson Gymnasium.
Series History: The Lutes and Royals have battled just two times since the series began during the 2023-2024 season with PLU winning both encounters. The Lutes pummeled the Royals 96-52 back on Dec. 1o, 2023 inside Olson Gym while posting an 84-60 win last year on Dec. 7.
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 Royals:Â Douglas (3-9) crosses the border for an exhibition game against the Lutes. The Royals are members of the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association and the Pacific Western Athletic Association.
Douglas opened the season in October and more recently split a pair of games against Columbia Bible College, falling 87-73 in the first game of the series before rebounding the following night with an 83-70 road win.
Derrick Monroe is the squad's leading scorer, averaging 16.8 points per game while hauling in 6.1 rebounds per game. Jesse Connoly is a shade under 10 a game, adding 9.8 ppg with Kaniyen Duncan offering 9.4 ppg and a team-best 3.6 assists per game. Eve Ilica is the leader on the glass, hauling down 7.9 rebounds per game with Lorenzo Bonamin grabbing 7.0 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. 28 vs. UC Santa Cruz at 2 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