Setting the Scene: The defending Northwest Conference Co-Champion Pacific Lutheran University men's basketball team opens its title defense tonight, welcoming in-state rival Whitman to Olson Gymnasium to begin conference play.
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 the 125th all-time meeting between the Lutes and Blues in a series dating back to the 1953-1954 season. PLU has a 77-48 edge in the all-time series, winning the the last four in a row. The Lutes edged the Blues 78-72 in Walla Walla last season before trouncing Whitman 78-54 inside Olson Gymnasium.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (2-2) had mixed results in the month of November across its four non-conference games. The Lutes opened the year by pummeling in-state Evergreen State 100-67 before rolling past Warner Pacific 77-71.
The Lutes fortunes were reversed the following weekend, stumbling 67-62 to California Lutheran on Nov. 19 and 51-49 to Montana State-Northern on Nov. 20.
Brandin Riedel enters conference play as the Lutes' leading scorer, dropping 13.8 points per game while also adding 6.8 rebounds per game. Jackson Reisner sports a 13.3 ppg average and its the team's sharpshooter, hitting 35.7 percent of his shots from behind the arc.
Sam Noland adds 11.5 ppg while Sean McCurdy registers 10.0 ppg and a team-best 7.8 rpg. Jordan Thomas does a bit of everything, adding 8.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg, and team-highs for assists (13), blocks (seven), and steals (five).
About the Blues: In-state rival Whitman (5-1) heads to Tacoma riding a three-game win streak. The Blues open conference action after earning a 78-63 victory over Sul Ross State (Texas), a 104-53 blowout of Maine-Fort Kent, and a 105-68 thrashing of intracity rival Walla Walla.
Whitman's lone blemish of the year came at the Pioneer Tip-Off Classic in Waukesha, Wisconsin, falling 77-60 to North Central (Ill.).
Jai Deshpande is Whitman's top scorer, contributing 16.2 points per game off the bench and shoot nearly 62 percent from the floor. Xzavier Lino adds 15.7 ppg and a team-best 5.0 rebounds per game while Nikola Trifunovic and Walter Lum add 12.0 and 11.0 ppg, respectively.
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 22 home games, including 10 of its 11 home dates during the 2021-2022 season.
PLU additionally has won 14 of the last 16 NWC games played inside Olson Gymnasium and 22 of the last 25 NWC games played in Tacoma.
NWC Preseason Coaches' Poll
The NWC office released its annual coaches' poll on Nov. 22 with the defending Co-Champion Lutes picked to finish third with 48 points. Co-Champion Whitworth sits atop the poll with 63 points and seven of the nine first place votes. Whitman is second with 56 points and the remaining two first place nods.
Pacific is fourth with 41 points followed by Lewis & Clark (34 points). Co-Champion Linfield was pegged a distant sixth with 32 points followed by George Fox (26 points), Puget Sound (14 points), and Willamette (10 points).
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. 3: PLU hosts Whitworth at 6 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