Setting the Scene: The Lutes gear up for their second homestand of the Northwest Conference slate tonight, welcoming Oregon rival Willamette 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 Bearcats have met 122 times since 1951 with the scales tilted 66-56 in favor of the Lutes. PLU has won four straight, sweeping the series last season with a 102-91 win in Salem and an 81-62 blowout victory inside Olson Gymnasium.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (6-7, 0-4 NWC) returns home to Olson Gymnasium looking to return to the win column after having a pair of comebacks fall short in Oregon.
Last Friday the Lutes erased a 17-point deficit against Linfield, enjoying a two-point lead with 26 seconds left on a Jordan Thomas layup. The lead was fleeting with the host Wildcats banking in a desperation three with 2.6 seconds left to escape with the 61-60 win.
Brandin Riedel led the charge in the loss with 17 points with Sean McCurdy netting a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards.
The following night the Lutes were staring at a 25 point second half gap with 16:33 to play. PLU closed within three on a Shane McGaughey-Fick free throw with 2:10 left but was unable to come any closer in an 85-76 setback.
Four Lutes head into the weekend averaging in double figures with Sam Noland headlining the group with a 12.2 points per game average. Brandin Riedel adds 12.0 ppg while Jackson Reisner and Jordan Thomas add 11.5 and 11.2 ppg, respectively. Thomas hauls in a team-best 8.5 rebounds per game while dishing out a team-high 47 assists on the year.
About the Bearcats: Willamette (5-7, 1-3 NWC) heads to Tacoma having won two of its last three games, splitting its NWC games last week.
The Bearcats edged Linfield 98-95 in an overtime barnburner last Tuesday before falling short 99-79 at home to Puget Sound. Willamette trailed by as many as 16 against Linfield but was able to drain 19 threes on the night to squeak out the win with Jack Boydell sinking seven and finishing with 31 points and seven assists.
Boydell leads the Bearcats, averaging 21.3 points per game, including hitting 43.2 percent of his shots from distance. Ryder Hsiung is equally deadly from three, shooting at a 50 percent clip and averaging 14 ppg. Jonathan Watts adds 12.7 ppg with Josiah Frank chipping in 12.5 ppg. Watts is the team's top rebounder, hauling in 6.8 rpg.
Home Cooking: The Lutes have turned Olson Gymnasium into a tough place for opposing teams to play. Pacific Lutheran has won 19 of its last 25 home games, including 10 of its 11 home dates during the 2021-2022 season. That includes a 64-61 thriller over Gustavus Adolphus that saw Jackson Reisner drain a buzzer-beating three for the win.
PLU additionally has won 14 of the last 18 NWC games played inside Olson Gymnasium and 22 of the last 27 NWC games played in Tacoma.
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.
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:
Jan. 14: PLU hosts Lewis & Clark 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