Setting the Scene: The Lutes return home for the first time since mid-December, 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 locked horns 84 times since the 1980-1981 campaign with PLU enjoying a 45-39 edge in the all-time series. Willamette has won four straight and nine of the last 11, including 77-61 and 63-48 victories last winter.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (0-13, 0-4 NWC) returns home to the friendly confines of Olson Gymnasium after four games on the road to finish off December and open up the calendar year.
The Lute road swing began in Southern California with the squad's final two non-conference games before trekking to Oregon for a pair of NWC games last weekend.
Ava Edmonds dropped a career-high 27 points but the Lutes were unable to hold a lead late in the third quarter last Friday in McMinnville, falling 74-63 to Linfield.
The following night the Lutes trailed by just four with 3:18 left but were unable to score the rest of the way, falling 52-41 to George Fox.
Four of PLU's losses this year have been by a single possession, including one that was a one-possession ballgame in overtime.
Ava Edmonds leads the Lutes in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 12.6 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game. Sydney Reisner chips in 10.5 ppg with Ashley Akamine adding 10.4 ppg and 5.0 rpg. Emily Wada has a team-best 29 assists while grabbing 11 steals on the season.
About the Bearcats: Willamette (6-7, 1-3 NWC) heads to Tacoma having dropped its last two games and searching for its first true road win of the 2022-2023 season.
Willamette closed out 2022 with a pair of non-league wins, steamrolling Vancouver Island 83-59 before downing Alma 61-46. The Bearcats resumed NWC action last weekend, falling short 66-51 against Linfield and dropping an 81-75 decision at home to preseason favorite Puget Sound.
Carolyn Ho is the Bearcats' leading scorer, dropping 11.0 points per game with Megan River tallying 10.1 ppg and 3.8 assists per game. Ashlyn Ascuena-Mercil crashes the boards for Willamette with a team-high 7.8 rebounds per game.
NWC Preseason Coaches' Poll
The Northwest Conference office released its coaches poll for women's basketball on Nov. 22 with Pacific Lutheran picked to finish eight with 16 total points. Puget Sound is the slim favorite with 61 points and five of the nine first place endorsements. Defending champion Whitman is second with 58 points and the remaining four first place votes.
Pacific is third with 49 points followed by George Fox (44 points), Willamette (36 points), and Whitworth (27 points). Lewis & Clark is seventh with 23 points and Linfield is ninth with 10 points.
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.
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. 14 vs. Lewis & Clark at 4 p.m.