WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Key Games Loom for Playoff-Hopeful Lutes

THIS WEEK: Pacific Lutheran hosts Lewis & Clark, Friday, 6 p.m.

DO-OR-DIE TIME: With five games remaining in the regular season, Pacific Lutheran’s drive toward a Northwest Conference playoff spot reaches the do-or-die stage. After Tuesday’s 67-60 loss at Puget Sound, the Lutes are now 6-5 in the conference, one-half game behind third place Whitworth, which has played one less game and is 6-4 in the NWC. A regular season title, while not out of the question mathematically, is all but wiped away for the Lutes. That’s why the team has shifted its focus to a top-three finish and a NWC playoff spot. To that end, Friday’s game at home against Lewis & Clark looms as the season’s biggest. Then, next week, the Whitman game on Friday and the Whitworth contest on Saturday will each take on “season’s biggest” status. By the way, the Northwest Conference tournament is set for Thursday, Feb. 22 and Saturday, Feb. 24. The second place finisher during the regular season hosts the third place team on Feb. 22, and the winner of that contest earns a trip to the home court of the regular season winner on Feb. 24. The victor there earns the NWC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III national playoffs that start the following week.

ABOUT LEWIS & CLARK: PLU defeated the Pioneers, 58-56, in the first meeting between the teams in Portland on Jan. 5. The Lutes built a 15-point first half lead, fell behind in the second half, and then rallied for the win. Trish Buckingham had a big game for the Lutes, scoring 16 points and hauling down eight rebounds. At the time the Pioneers – picked to finish second in the conference – were 0-3 in the NWC. Since that time they have won five of seven games and find themselves back in the conference playoff hunt with a 5-5 conference record. The Pioneers are 12-7 for the season. Crystal Castle, last week’s NWC Player of the Week, leads the Pios with 13.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Allison Farr scores 10.8 points per game, while Sarah Moon is averaging 12.5 in conference games, almost three points better than her season scoring average.

LOGGERS CHOP DOWN LUTES: In Tuesday’s big showdown, Puget Sound outscored visiting Pacific Lutheran 20-8 in the final six minutes to garner a 67-60 Northwest Conference victory at Memorial Fieldhouse. The Lutes held a 52-47 lead with about six minutes to play when Allison Craven buried a three-point shot that sent the Loggers on their game-closing 20-8 run. The two teams matched 47 percent shooting in the first half, both hitting 15-of-32 shots. Kezia Long had 10 of her 14 points for the Lutes in the opening 20 minutes. As well as the Lutes shot in the first period, however, they were equally cold in the opening minutes of the second half, missing their first 12 shots. Despite the shooting woes, the Lutes were tied with the hosts, 41-41, with 12:48 left to play. Pacific Lutheran momentarily gained the upper hand behind the play of Johnson, the reigning Northwest Conference Player of the Year. At one point in the second half she scored 13 consecutive PLU points, including seven in a row that turned a 47-45 Pacific Lutheran deficit into a 52-47 lead. The senior wing from Tenino finished the game with 26 points on 11-of-22 shooting. She also had 10 rebounds as the Lutes won that statistical battle, 38-35. Unfortunately, the Lutes shot just 30 percent in the second half, leading to the defeat.

CLOSING IN ON 200: Head coach Gil Rigell is six wins away from the 200-win mark in what is now his 10th season at Pacific Lutheran. Entering this Friday's game, Rigell has a 194-66 record (.746 winning percentage).

NEXT WEEK: The Lutes host Whitman at 6 p.m. Friday and Whitworth at 4 p.m. on Saturday in Northwest Conference games.

LUTES ON THE AIR: Selected Pacific Lutheran women’s basketball games can be heard in the Tacoma area on KLAY 1180 AM, or on the worldwide web at http://www.klay1180.com. Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Robertson calls the action for both PLU women’s and men’s basketball games.

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