Setting the Scene: The Lutes continue their homestand tonight, welcoming Whitman College to Olson Gymnasium.
Home Attendance Policy: Masks are required while inside Olson Gymnasium, regardless of vaccination status. Eating and drinking inside the building is also prohibited. Thank you for your cooperation and helping stop the spread of COVID-19.
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 Blues are meeting for the 82nd time with Whitman holding a 50-31 edge in the series. The Blues won the first meeting of the season 86-59 back on Jan. 14 in Walla Walla.
About the Lutes: Maddie Plevyak poured on a career-high 18 points as the Pacific Lutheran University women's basketball team held off Northwest Conference rival Linfield University 66-61 on Wednesday night inside Ted Wilson Gymnasium.
The Lutes (6-13, 3-9 NWC) led by as many as 14 points in the second half but had to stave off a late rally from the host Wildcats (1-20, 1-12 NWC) to hold on for the win. An Ava Edmonds layup with 8:37 left in the third put the Lutes up 40-26 but the gap was reduced to just five heading into the final 10 minutes of play. A Stacie Spahr bucket with 6:57 remaining put the Lutes up nine but Linfield continued to battle back, cutting the gap to two with 4:02 left.
A Spahr bucket put PLU up five with 2:14 remaining but the Wildcats scored the next four closing with a point at 62-61 with 66 seconds left. Ava Edmonds collected a clutch steal with 14 seconds left while free throws from Plevyak and Spahr down the stretch were enough to cement the win.
The host Wildcats hit a three to open the game and held a 5-2 edge just over a minute into the contest but the Lutes scored the next 11 points and was in the driver's seat the rest of the night to secure the win. A Plevyak layup sparked the early run with a Taylor Shmidtke layup with 4:52 left in the first quarter giving the Lutes the 13-5 advantage. PLU led 20-14 after 10 minutes of play and led 34-26 at the halftime intermission.
Plevyak paced all scorers with 18 points while Edmonds collected 17 points and five rebounds. Josie Napoli was the third Lute in double figures, dropping 14 points while draining all five of her three throw attempts. Spahr added seven points while hauling in a team-high 11 rebounds.
PLU won the turnover battle (19 to 12) and made the Wildcats pay, enjoying a 13-5 edge in points off turnovers.
"I was really proud of our team effort tonight! Defensively we got stops when we needed them and we communicated well and stayed focused when the game got tight," said Head Coach Tiffany Twiddy
"Offensively we got the shots we wanted, we just need to work on being more consistent. Overall I was proud of them finishing as that's been a point of emphasis for us."
About the Blues: 6th-ranked Whitman (20-1, 12-0 NWC) heads into the weekend riding a 10-game win streak. The Blues lone setback was to University of California-Santa Cruz back on Dec. 20, stumbling 72-63 in California.
Since then, the Blues have been rolling, including earning a 60-52 win over Pacific University and an 82-45 win over Linfield University last weekend.
Kaylie McCracken headlines the Whitman scoring attack, averaging 17.9 points per game and hauling in 9.9 rebounds per game. Korin Baker adds 11.4 ppg and 5.5 rpg while Kaelan Shamseldin tallies 9.2 ppg. Taylor Chambers leads the team in assists with 3.7 per game.
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Next Home Game:
Feb. 15 vs. University of Puget Sound at 6 p.m.
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