Setting the Scene: The Lutes open up their home slate tonight, welcoming in-state rival Evergreen State to Olson Gymnasium.
Series History: The Lutes and Geoducks have met 18 times since the series began during the 2000-2001 season with each program winning nine of those meetings. That includes Evergreen winning the last three games, including a two-point victory last winter.
The two teams met last December in Olympia with the host Geoducks slithering away with a 58-56 victory. PLU led by as many as eight in that game but Evergreen battled back and hit the game winner with four seconds left to earn the win.
Sydney Reisner led the Lutes that day with 13 points while Stacie Spahr hauled down 13 rebounds.
About the Lutes: Sydney Reisner poured on 19 points but a tough fourth quarter ultimately derailed the Pacific Lutheran University women's basketball team in its season opener last Thursday night, falling 52-43 to Warner Pacific University inside CC Perry Gymnasium.
"We went into the game knowing we needed to prioritize poise and pace but we didn't do that well tonight. We let a bit of the first game nerves affect us, especially in the 4th," said Head Coach Lee Aduddell.
Reisner was nearly perfect in the opener, shooting seven-for-nine from the floor, including hitting all four of her shots from beyond the arc.
The Lutes (0-1) led 33-30 with 5:28 left in the third quarter after a Reisner three but the homestanding Knights (1-0) responded with the next eight points over the next two and a half minutes.
A Kasidy Javernick three and a Emi Wada layup knotted the score with 1:35 left in the third but Warner Pacific scored five of the final six points in the stanza, heading into the final 10 minutes with a four-point buffer.
A Brandie Tobin bucket sliced the deficit to a single possession with 7:06 left in the fourth but the Lutes were able to muster just one more bucket the rest of the game as WPU pulled away for the nine-point win. PLU finished the final quarter shooting just 15.4 percent (two-for-13) from the floor.
Reisner finished the night with four rebounds and three steals along with the game-high 19 points while Javernick tallied five points and three boards. Tobin had six rebounds and three assists while Stacie Spahr hauled down a team-high seven rebounds.
"Sydney was steady on both ends of the floor. We're really proud of how she played."
PLU finished the night shooting 30.6 percent from the floor (15-for-49) and hit 31.3 percent of its chances (five-for-16) from three-point range.
WPU enjoyed a 26-16 edge in points in the paint while the Knight bench outscored the Lute reserves 27-14.
About the Geoducks: Evergreen State (0-1) has two games under its belt this season, playing an exhibition against Division I Seattle University before falling on the road to Division II Chaminade University in Hawaii.
The Geoducks fell 85-56 to the RedHawks but had more success in their regular season opener against the Silverswords in a 78-65 setback.
Evergreen State outscored Chaminade 39-30 over the second half but the damage was already done after the host Silverswords held a 10-point lead after one quarter of play and enjoyed a 22-point halftime edge.
Abby Mundy led the Geoducks with 13 points while Sydney Vanness added 10 points as the only other player in double figures. Mikail Montez led the team on the glass with 10 rebounds.
TESC outrebounded Chaminade 47-46 but struggled from beyond the arc, particularly in the first half, missing 18 of their 19 three point shots in the opening 20 minutes.
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.
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:
Dec. 7 vs. Multnomah 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