Setting the Scene: The defending Northwest Conference Champion Pacific Lutheran University men's basketball closes out its opening homestand of the season today, welcoming NAIA Montana State-Northern 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 second all-time meeting between PLU and Montana State-Northern. The Lutes and Lights first met on Jan. 4, 1997 with host PLU prevailing 89-85.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (2-0) opened the regular season by earning wins at the expense of NAIA foes Evergreen State (100-67) and Warner Pacific (77-71).
Jackson Reisner was feeling it from three-point range in Saturday's win over WPU, draining four treys and scoring 17 points in the six-point win. Brandin Riedel added 14 points and five assists while Sean McCurdy (12 points, 10 boards) and Jordan Thomas (10 points, 12 rebounds) both had double-doubles.
The score was tied at 62 with just under five minutes left in the game but the Lutes answered, reclaiming the lead on a Croix Sweeney three to help build back a lead that swelled to as many as nine points.
About the Lights: MSU-Northern (4-0) heads to the Tacoma area having won it's first four games of the season, including three victories against Canadian universities.
The Lights opened the season with a bang on Oct. 28. rolling The King's University 108-59 before downing Lethbridge 85-54 the following day. MSU-Northern smashed Northwest Indian 100-45 on Nov. 3 before besting University of Alberta-Augustana 105-53.
Dae'Kwon Watson headlines the MSU-Northern offensive attack, averaging 11.8 points per game while Tanner McCliment-Call adds 11.3 ppg. Jacob Randall leads the team on the glass averaging 6.0 rebounds per game while Zachary Martinez is the team's top distributer, dishing out 4.3 assists per game.
Home Cooking: The Lutes have turned Olson Gymnasium into a tough place for opposing teams to play. Pacific Lutheran has won 18 of its last 20 home games, including 10 of its 11 home dates during the 2021-2022 season.
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:
Dec. 2: PLU hosts Whitman at 8 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