Setting the Scene: The Lutes close out their two-game homestand this afternoon, welcoming NWC rival Lewis & Clark 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: The Lutes and Pioneers have met 82 times on the hardwood since the 1980-1981 season with PLU enjoying a 51-31 edge in the all-time series. Pacific Lutheran has won five of the last six meetings with the series split last winter.
Lewis & Clark prevailed 64-58 in the first meeting last season back on Dec. 3 in Portland but the Lutes got the last laugh, prevailing 72-66 on Jan. 29 inside Olson Gymnasium behind a 21-point effort from Kasidy Javernick.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (0-13, 0-4 NWC) returns home to the friendly confines of Olson Gymnasium after four games on the road to finish off December and open up the calendar year.
The Lute road swing began in Southern California with the squad's final two non-conference games before trekking to Oregon for a pair of NWC games last weekend.
Ava Edmonds dropped a career-high 27 points but the Lutes were unable to hold a lead late in the third quarter last Friday in McMinnville, falling 74-63 to Linfield.
The following night the Lutes trailed by just four with 3:18 left but were unable to score the rest of the way, falling 52-41 to George Fox.
Four of PLU's losses this year have been by a single possession, including one that was a one-possession ballgame in overtime.
Ava Edmonds leads the Lutes in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 12.6 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game. Sydney Reisner chips in 10.5 ppg with Ashley Akamine adding 10.4 ppg and 5.0 rpg. Emily Wada has a team-best 29 assists while grabbing 11 steals on the season.
About the Pioneers: Lewis & Clark (2-11, 1-3 NWC) heads into the weekend having dropped four of its last five games
The Pios closed out their non-conference slate in California, dropping games at Caltech (62-47), Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (65-59), and La Verne (79-51).
Lewis & Clark rallied from a 20-point second half deficit last Friday in their first game of 2023, escaping Spokane with a 93-90 double overtime victory over Whitworth. The Pios' Karli Mukai scored 38 points in the win as L&C outscored the Pirates 23-10 in the fourth to force overtime.
L&C wasn't so lucky the following day, stumbling 73-44 to Whitman in Walla Walla.
Mukai is the Pios' leading scorer, averaging 16.6 points per game with a team-high 35 threes while Jamison Richards adds 13.9 ppg. Charlotte Carroll is the third Pio averaging in double figures, checking in with 10.7 ppg and a team-best 10.2 rebounds per game.
NWC Preseason Coaches' Poll
The Northwest Conference office released its coaches poll for women's basketball on Nov. 22 with Pacific Lutheran picked to finish eight with 16 total points. Puget Sound is the slim favorite with 61 points and five of the nine first place endorsements. Defending champion Whitman is second with 58 points and the remaining four first place votes.
Pacific is third with 49 points followed by George Fox (44 points), Willamette (36 points), and Whitworth (27 points). Lewis & Clark is seventh with 23 points and Linfield is ninth with 10 points.
New Look Lutemobile for 2023
The new Lutemobile is here! Last week, the Lutes' bus partner Bellair Charters, unveiled its newest PLU branded bus as it took the men's and women's hoops teams to Oregon.
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.
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."
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
Next Home Game:
Jan. 21 vs. Pacific at 4 p.m.