Setting the Scene: The Lutes host the seventh-annual Pacific Northwest Holiday Tournament from Friday through Sunday, welcoming crosstown rival University of Puget Sound along with California-based University of Redlands and Connecticut-based United States Coast Guard Academy.
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 Redlands are meeting for just the third time overall with the Bulldogs winning the previous two meetings. The two teams first met during the 2004-2005 season and last met in 2019 with Redlands earning a 68-65 victory.
This will be the first all-time meeting between the Lutes and the Coast Guard Academy.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (0-7) is back on the court after an 11-day hiatus, last competing on Dec. 6 in Olympia and suffering a heartbreaking 58-56 setback to host Evergreen State College.
In that game, Breeze Bartle poured on a career-high 13 points but an untimely scoring drought in the final minutes sabotaged PLU as the Geoducks escaped with the win.
A Bartle bucket with 4:09 remaining gave the Lutes a four-point cushion over the host Geoducks (4-2) but PLU was kept off the scoreboard the rest of the way, misfiring on its final four shots, including a three with two ticks left in the one possession setback. Evergreen State tied the game with 62 seconds left while hitting the game-winner with four seconds remaining to escape with the win.
"The game again came down to defense. Not only in the last possession but in not playing intentional defense for a full 40 minutes," said Head Coach Lee Aduddell.
Ashley Akamine drained a three just 15 seconds into the game and the visiting Lutes staked an eight-point lead off a Sydney Reisner three with 4:50 left in the first quarter. Evergreen State pushed into the driver's seat for the first time on a pair of free throws with 5:14 left in the second and took a slim 31-27 advantage into the halftime break.
The Geoduck lead touched double digits with 5:54 left in the third but the Lutes dug deep with a Bartle three the old fashioned way closing the gap and touching off a 9-0 run.
PLU led by three heading into the fourth quarter and owned a five-point cushion with 5:20 left off a Stacie Spahr jumper.
Bartle finished with a career-high 13 points while also securing seven rebounds. Reisner matched Bartle's offensive numbers with a baker's dozen, hitting three treys while Akamine had 10 points and five boards. Emi Wada had a team-high five assists with Spahr securing 13 rebounds.
"Breeze's success is a byproduct of how hard she plays. She has been a great addition to our program and I can't wait to see her continue to grow within our system."
Ashley Akamine leads the Lutes in scoring through the opening seven games, averaging 10.9 points per game along with 5.3 rebounds per game. Sydney Reisner adds 9.6 ppg while Ava Edmonds contributes 8.5 ppg and 7.2 rebounds per game.
About the Bears: Coast Guard (3-5) heads to the Pacific Northwest having won its last two games. The Bears opened the month of December with a 60-46 victory over in-state rival Wesleyan before taking down Connecticut College 62-59 on December 5.
Three of Coast Guard's five losses have been by one possession, including an 80-77 loss to Endicott, a 73-70 setback to service academy nemesis Merchant Marine, and an 84-82 overtime heartbreaker to Albertus Magnus.
Dorothy Stotts leads the scoring charge, averaging 13.6 points per game, while Kira Wood chips in 12.5 ppg.
Glory Blethen is the Coast Guard's top rebounder, hauling in 7.5 per game with Julia Mann adding 7.1 rpg.
About the Loggers: Puget Sound (6-1, 2-0 NWC) heads into the PNW Tournament riding a four-game win streak. The Loggers' lone blemish on the season was a 62-56 loss to Wheaton on Nov. 19.
Since then, Puget Sound has ripped off four straight, crushing Chapman 93-58, Whittier, 84-49 before picking up a pair of conference wins.
The Loggers opened league play with an 89-77 win over Whitworth on Dec. 2 before toppling conference favorite Whitman 78-63.
Kennedy Brown is the scoring engine for UPS, piling on 17.4 points per game while Samantha Swartout adds 9.6 ppg along with 6.6 rebounds per game.
About the Bulldogs: Redlands (4-1) heads to Washington riding a three-game win streak. The Bulldogs stumbled 68-49 to nationally-ranked Whitman on Nov. 18 before ripping off wins over Linfield (66-50), Pacific (67-66), and Occidental (64-46).
Alyssa Downs leads the Bulldogs, averaging 17.8 points per game with Hannah Jerrier chipping in 12.0 ppg and a team-best 9.8 rebounds per game.
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. 13 vs. Willamette at 6 p.m.