Nov. 20, 2006

Lutes Start off 2-0, Face Division II Foes

THIS WEEK: Pacific Lutheran vs. Western Washington at WWU Invitational, Friday, 5 p.m.; PLU vs. St. Martin's at WWU Invitational, Saturday, 1 p.m.

LAST WEEK: The Pacific Lutheran women’s basketball team started the 2006-07 season with a win on Friday afternoon at the Puget Sound Tip Off Classic, defeating the California Lutheran Regals, 64-55. PLU was led by senior wing Nikki Johnson, a preseason All-America pick, who finished with 15 points and 16 boards. Senior post Kezia Long also picked up a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Junior guard Megan Clarno had 13 points, seven assists and no turnovers for the Lutes, and Trinity Gibbons added five assists. In the Lutes' second game of the season, they outscored Oglethorpe 12-2 over the final 5:52 of the game to pull out an exciting 73-70 basketball victory on Saturday afternoon at the UPS Tip-Off Classic. Long finished with 20 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. After missing her first four shots she made seven of her final 10 attempts. For the second straight game, Johnson led the Lutes, this time scoring 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the field. Like Long, Johnson had her second consecutive double-double with 12 rebounds. Clarno chipped in with 16 points against Oglethorpe.

MORE ABOUT WWU INVITATIONAL: The Lutes will be headed to Western Washington University’s Lynda Goodrich Invitational, where they will face off against two Division II opponents. The event is named for former Western head coach and current Viking director of athletics Lynda Goodrich. Goodrich coached the Vikings from 1971-90. During that time, she compiled a 411-125 record while directing Western to five national tournament appearances. The Vikings never had a losing season and had 13 20-win campaigns during her 19-year tenure. She was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1986 and was named WWU Sports Impact Person of the Century and inducted into the WWU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999. The Lutes' first game of the tournament will be on November 24 against Western Washington; on the 25th they will face Saint Martin’s University. This will be the third Lynda Goodrich Classic appearance for the Lutes. In 2000 and 2001 the Lutes went 2-2, with both victories coming against Evergreen and both losses coming at the hands of Western Washington. In the previous two tournament appearances there have been four PLU players to be selected for the all-tournament team - Becky Franza and Lucy Barker in 2000, and Jessica Iserman and Jamie Keatts in 2001.

THE OPPONENTS: The Vikings should be a tough game for the Lutes as Western is currently ranked No.16 in the preseason Women's Basketball Coaches Association/NCAA Division II Top 25. Western has reached postseason play in all but one year of its history, and has reached the NCAA Division II National Tournament all eight years it has been a full NCAA member. Last year, the Vikings were 27-2 overall, won the Great Northwest Athletic Conference with a perfect 18-0 mark, and reached the semifinals of the West Regional of the national tournament. They return only one starter from a year ago, and 4 letter winners. They will be joined by three NCAA Division I transfers and a strong group of freshmen. Their record is currently 1-1. Saint Martin’s will return only one starter from a year ago. The Saints are coming off of a 9-18 record in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. They have two returnees and have signed a total of 10 new players including four freshman and six transfers. “With so many new players I certainly think there are a lot of question marks,” said coach Tim Healy. The Saints are currently 0-1 this season.

NEXT WEEK: The Lutes will start Northwest Conference play with a pair of home games against Linfield and Willamette. The games are scheduled for 6 p.m. December 1 and 2.

- PLU -