Setting the Scene: The defending Northwest Conference Champion Pacific Lutheran University men's basketball continues its non-conference slate tonight, welcoming NAIA Warner Pacific to Olson Gymnasium.
Online Ticketing: The Lutes have made it easier for fans to attend home sporting events, signing a deal with HomeTown Ticketing to be the department's official electronic ticket provider. Lute fans can now purchase basketball tickets online at GoLutes.com/tickets or on the HomeTown Ticketing mobile app available on iOS and Android devices.
Series History: This is just the fourth all-time meeting between the Lutes and the Knights with PLU holding a 2-1 edge in the series. WPU won the first meeting during the 1985-86 season but PLU has won the showdowns in 2019-2020 and last winter. Last year the Lutes prevailed 73-62 in Portland.
About the Lutes: The Pacific Lutheran University men's basketball team encountered little resistance in Tuesday's season opener, pummeling in-state rival Evergreen State College 100-67 inside the Costantino Recreation Center.
The visiting Lutes (1-0) never trailed in Tuesday's non-league tilt, enjoying a 26-point gap at the halftime break in the blowout win that saw five PLU players finish in double figures.
"We're really happy with the way we came out defensively which set the tone early on," said Head Coach Chad Murray.
"Brandin Riedel was fantastic in the first 10 minutes of the first half which settled us offensively. Then we were able to get going in transition and also from three-point range. But the story of the night was our defensive intensity. I thought our bench energy was incredible and that really gave us the boost we needed to defend for the entire half."
Pacific Lutheran led 6-5 four minutes into the game before scoring the next eight points, with half of that coming from Brandin Riedel to create some breathing room. A Sam Noland layup halfway through the opening stanza mushroomed the Lute lead into double digits and remained that way the rest of the game.
PLU took a 53-27 lead into the halftime intermission and outscored the Geoducks (0-1) 47-40 in the second half.
Noland paced the Lute scoring efforts, registering 19 points on the night. Riedel added 16 points, hitting all eight of his shots from the floor while also hauling in eight rebounds while Sean McCurdy tallied 15 points. Jackson Reisner chipped in 11 with Jack Williams scoring 10 off the bench. Jordan Thomas had a team-high four assists while scoring eight points.
"Noland played tremendous for us. Disciplined offensively and was able to take advantage of the opportunities he got. Overall, this is a nice first game for us to build on."
PLU scorched the nets, shooting 60 percent (42-for-70) on the evening while outrebounding Evergreen by a 38-23 margin.
About the Knights: Warner Pacific (1-1) heads to Tacoma having split its first two games of the season. The Knights opened the year with a 71-70 buzzer beating win over Montana Western on Nov. 4. Isaac Enter provided the winning bucket, hitting a layup at the buzzer to earn the win, finishing with 19 points while Thomas Miles dropped 28.
The Knights weren't as lucky the following day, falling 90-69 to Montana Tech. Miles again led WPU, dropping 15 points.
Home Cooking: The Lutes have turned Olson Gymnasium into a tough place for opposing teams to play. Pacific Lutheran has won 17 of its last 19 home games, including 10 of its 11 home dates during the 2021-2022 season.
Miles averages 21.5 points per game and a team-best 7.5 rebounds per game while Enter averages 14.0 ppg.
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.
To download the app to your smartphone or tablet, visit the Apple App Store (DOWNLOAD LINK) or Google Play (DOWNLOAD LINK) and search for "PLU Athletics."
Trailblazing NIL the D3 Way: PLU Athletics continues to lead the way nationally in Name, Image, and Likeness, unveiling the Luteville Marketplace on August 31 through the department's partnership with Opendorse. Learn more about the deal here: LINK. 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.
Next Home Game:
Nov. 19: PLU hosts California Lutheran at 7 PM
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