Dec. 19, 2007

MEN’S BASKETBALL: Lutes Shut Down Through Christmas

THIS WEEK: Pacific Lutheran (3-2) has a week off for Christmas break. The Lutes will return to action Thursday through Saturday, Dec. 27-29, at the Cactus Jam in Phoenix, Ariz. The Lutes open the tournament at 10 a.m. (MST) Dec. 27, against Wartburg (Iowa).

LUTES WIN EXHIBITION THRILLER: Kyle MacTaggart blocked a three-point attempt by Matt Kuzminski at the buzzer and Pacific Lutheran held on to defeat Simon Fraser, 65-62, in an exhibition game played Monday night in Olson Auditorium. Though the win didn’t count on the Lutes’ record, it was a memorable win nonetheless and one that the coaches and players hope to build on through the remainder of the season. Simon Fraser held its biggest lead of the game, 37-30, at halftime, but the Lutes started the second half with an 11-4 run to tie the score at 41-41 on Landon Heidenreich's layup with 13:25 remaining. PLU also led by as much as seven points, 61-54, that coming on MacTaggart's three-point basket with 2:00 remaining. Gabe Smith found MacTaggart on the left wing and his shot barely beat the shot clock before falling through the net. The Lutes took a 65-59 lead on Dressler's free throws with 55.8 seconds left to play, but Greg Wallis hit a three-point shot with 44.9 seconds left to pull his team within reach. That set up MacTaggart's game-ending defensive heroics Wallis had a huge game for Simon Fraser, leading all players with 30 points and 16 rebounds. He hit 12-of-19 shots and also contributed three assists during 36 minutes of action. For the Lutes, Dressler scored 17 points, followed by Scott McDaniels with 16 points and 12 rebounds. MacTaggart had 12 points off the bench, and Heidenreich finished with 10 points and five assists.

JAMMIN’ IN ARIZONA: Pacific Lutheran (3-2) will make its third appearance in the Cactus Jam, an annual tournament for Division III teams held at Phoenix College. Basketball Travelers Inc., an Edmonds-based company, is the tournament sponsor. Joining the Lutes in this year’s tournament are Wartburg (Iowa), Ramapo (N.J.), Clark (Mass.), Linfield (Ore.), Kean (N.J.), Carroll (Wis.) and Wheaton (Mass.). The three-day tournament features consolation and championship brackets and concludes with the title game at 4 p.m. (MST) Saturday, Dec. 29. PLU previously appeared in the Cactus Jam in 2001 and in 2005. In 2001, the Lutes placed third, beating Thomas More, losing to Mississippi College and defeating Cabrini. PLU played two games in 2005, losing to Ramapo before beating Washington & Jefferson.

LUTES BY THE NUMBERS: Junior wing Josh Dressler continues to lead the Lutes in scoring this season with an average of 21.6 points per game. Senior post Scott McDaniels is second in scoring at 16.8 points per game, and he is the team leader with an average of 7.6 rebounds per contest. Senior point guard Landon Heidenreich has solid all-around numbers: 7.0 assists and 6.8 points and rebounds per contest. While the Lutes are shooting just 42 percent from the field this season, they are out-rebounding their opponents, 42.4 to 40.6 rebounds per game.

- PLU -