Setting the Scene: The Lutes are back at home tonight, hosting crosstown nemesis Puget Sound inside Olson Gymnasium.
Series History: The Lutes had Loggers have met 153 times since the 1940-1941 season with PLU enjoying a 81-72 edge in the all-time series. PLU's 10-game win streak in the series was snapped back on Dec. 5 with a hot-shooting Loggers team downing the Lutes 74-69.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (10-7, 3-5 NWC) returns home to Olson Gymnasium looking to snap a two-game slide. The Lutes opened its road swing in eastern Washington on Saturday night, falling 85-64 to Whitworth before coming up empty handed 82-68 against Whitman the following afternoon.
Against NWC-leading Whitworth on Saturday, Brandin Riedel was dialed in early, scoring seven of the game's opening mine points but the hosts proved too much for the Lutes to handle, building a 16-point halftime advantage. Sam Noland brought the Lutes to within eight with 14:34 left in the game but PLU was unable to get any closer.
Riedel finished with 15 points while Sam Noland added 14.
Against Whitman, the host Blues used a 13-3 run midway through the first half to break the game open and cruise to the victory, enjoying at least a nine-point cushion the entire second half. It was Noland and Riedel again pacing the Lutes, finishing with 17 and 16 points, respectively.
The Lutes rank 23rd nationally (out of 412 NCAA Division III teams) in field goal percentage, hitting 48.5 percent of its shots. It's a mark that sits second best in the NWC, just a shade behind Whitman (48.7). Defensively, the Lutes sit atop the NWC, limiting opponents to just 71.2 points per game this winter.
Miles Nash leads the Lutes in scoring, rebounding, and assists, dropping 14.9 points per game with a 6.4 rebounds per game average while dishing out a team-high 61 assists this winter.
Riedel leads the NWC and ranks ninth in the nation in field goal percentage, sinking 63.9 percent of his shots on the season while averaging 14.2 ppg and 4.8 rpg. Sam Noland drops 13.1 ppg while Jason Montes is the fourth Lute in double figures, netting 10.2 ppg.
About the Loggers: Puget Sound (8-9, 4-4 NWC) dropped a pair of games over the weekend in eastern Washington, falling 84-68 to Whitman and 79-70 to Whitworth.
Against Whitman, Dezman Baker popped off for 18 points but it wasn't enough as the host Blues built a 10-point halftime lead and kept UPS at arm's length the rest of the way.
On Sunday it was Liam Ruttledge scoring 17 and Zane Miller adding 16 and nine rebounds but the Loggers were unable to come away with the win, despite holding a lead with 7:45 left in the game.
Four Loggers average in double figures with Taj Phillips leading the way with a 13.4 points per game average. Liam Ruttledge adds 13.2 ppg while Dezman Baker chips in 10.8 ppg and 5.3 rebounds per game with Zane Miller coming off the bench and dropping 10.1 ppg.
Home Cooking: The Lutes have made Olson Gymnasium a tough venue for opposing teams over the past three plus seasons. PLU has won 30 of it's last 40 home games, a stretch dating back to the end of the 2019-2020 campaign.
The Lutes have been a tough team to play at home this season (7-2) and combined with volleyball and women's basketball are 23-5 inside Olson Gymnasium during the 2023-2024 academic year!
1 Weekend. 3 Championships.
Check out all the celebration highlights below as PLU volleyball, women's soccer, and men's soccer all clinched league titles on Senior Day weekend on Oct. 28-29.
Fall Sports Recap
NWC Preseason Coaches' Poll
Summer Lutes
PLU men's soccer student-athlete Elijah Singleton had a busy summer serving as an intern in a lab at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center. Learn more about his daily routine in the video below.
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 Home Game:
Jan. 27 vs. Linfield 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