Feb. 27, 2008

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Lutes Snag 11th Consecutive Winning Season

LAST WEEK: The Pacific Lutheran women’s basketball team (14-11, 7-9 NWC) wrapped up its season with a weekend sweep of Linfield and Pacific.

LUTES DECLAW ‘CATS: Playing in her second-to-last college game, senior Emily Voorhies scored a career-high 23 points to help Pacific Lutheran overwhelm visiting Linfield, 71-51, in a Northwest Conference women’s basketball game last Friday night in Olson Auditorium. Voorhies’ previous career high was an 18-point effort against Willamette earlier this month. The senior from Auburn was 11-for-18 from the field and added four blocks. The victory over Linfield continues PLU’s 26-game winning streak over the Wildcats dating back to 1996. The Lutes held a slim five-point lead at the end of the first half, 27-22. Linfield was cold from the opening half, making only 7-of-25 shots (28 percent). Brihtani Lassiter kept the Wildcats close by going 4-for-5 from behind the arc in the first half. PLU’s Kyle Haag, who has been outstanding this season from three-land, was shut out in the first half, missing all five of her three-point attempts. Linfield was able to hang close to PLU for the opening of the second half. Another three by Lassiter pulled the Wildcats within five, 40-35, at the 11:35 mark. PLU would respond by going on a 21-8 run over the next seven minutes, and that proved to be enough to put the game out of reach for Linfield. Trinity Gibbons had 12 points for the Lutes and Amy Spieker scored eight points and added a team-high five assists. Melissa Richardson pulled in 10 rebounds for PLU.

PLU HOLD OFF PACIFIC: Pacific Lutheran held off a furious second half rally by the visiting Pacific Boxers to win a 67-64 Northwest Conference women’s basketball decision last Saturday night in Olson Auditorium. The Boxers erased an early 5-0 deficit to take a 9-8 lead on a pair of free throws by Christine Kim with 15:17 remaining in the half, but the Lutes responded by scoring 32 of the game’s next 40 points to take a 40-17 lead with 2:22 on the clock. Amy Spieker, who led the Lutes with 17 points, capped the run with a three-point basket. PLU eventually took a seemingly comfortable 43-24 lead into the locker room. Pacific refused to give up in the second half, finally cutting its deficit under 10 points just more than halfway into the period when Amy Pedersen hit a jumper to make the score 56-48 in favor of the Lutes. The Lutes never did relinquish the lead, but the Boxers continued to make it difficult to the very end. Emily Voorhies hit a layup with 53 seconds remaining to give PLU a 65-58 advantage, but Mallory Goldammer and Kalei Frank hit baskets to make it a three-point game. Trinity Gibbons hit a pair of free throws with 4.1 seconds to put the Lutes back on top by five, and Goldammer made two charity tosses with 0.3 seconds remaining for the final margin. Spieker was sharp from the field, going 7-for-12 overall and 3-for-4 from three-point range, for her 17 points. She also added a game-high five assists for the Lutes. Trinity Gibbons collected 14 points and a team-high 10 rebounds and Kyle Haag added 12 points, all on three-point field goals, for the winners. Haag was one of three seniors playing their final game for PLU. The other two were Voorhies, who had eight points and eight rebounds, and Trish Buckingham, who finished with four points and four assists.

Trinity Gibbons

Kyle Haag

Emily Voorhies

NATIONAL RANKINGS: Good things come in threes for senior Kyle Haag - three points to be exact. The senior from Tumwater is assaulting the record books this season with her shooting from behind the three-point line. Along with making a splash in the PLU record books, Haag is making waves on the national scene as well. Haag currently ranks second in the NCAA Division III in three-point field goals per game with an average of 3.3 per contest. Haag also ranks 31st in three-point field goal percentage, making 39.6 percent of her attempts. Senior Trinity Gibbons accompanies Haag in the national statistics, ranking 93rd in assists per game, averaging 4.2.

SENIOR MOMENTS: Three seniors played their final games in the gold-and-black this past weekend. Post Trish Buckingham is a four-year player who earned honorable mention all-conference honors last season. Emily Voorhies is another post player who has had a strong season, her third year of playing basketball at PLU. Voorhies averaged 10.4 points per game and leads the Lutes with an aveage of 7.0 rebounds per contest. Voorhies, who has battled numerous injuries throughout her college career, has one more season of eligibility remaining after this one and might return next year if she attends graduate school at PLU. Kyle Haag transferred to PLU from Colorado State University-Pueblo and has had a breakout season, leading the Lutes with an average of 14.1 points per game.

ALL-NWC HONORS: Kyle Haag and Trinity Gibbons were named to the All-Northwest Conference women’s basketball teams. Haag was a second team choice while Gibbons earned honorable mention honors. Both players had a excellent 2008 season. Haag ranked first in the conference in three-point field goals made per game (3.28), fourth in scoring (14.1), and fifth in three-point field goal average (.396). Gibbons ranked second in the conference in assists (4.16), fifth in assists/turnover ratio (1.05), sixth in steals (1.68), and eighth in rebounds (6.6). Gibbons was also second in the conference in minutes played per game, averaging 34.96 minutes an outing.

RECORD BOOK: A handful of players on this year’s team made an impact on the record books. Three-point ace Kyle Haag left the biggest impression on record books. Out of the three different three-point records kept (made, attempted, and percentage), Haag moved into the top six in all three categories, for both single season and career. Haag set the single season record for both three-point field goals made and attempted. Haag was 82-for-207 this season from behind the arc, shattering the previous records, both held by Kelly Turner from the 2006 season when she went 67-for-167. On the career list Haag ranks fourth in threes made, 135, and fifth in threes attempted, 372. Finally Haag also ranks third all-time in three-point field goal percentage in a career (.363), and sixth in a single season (.398). Other Lutes making the top-ten lists include senior Emily Voorhies. Voorhies slipped into the tenth spot on field goal percentage in a season (.498) after going 113-for-227 from the field. The six-foot one post also grabbed the tenth spot in blocked shots in a career (49). Junior Trinity Gibbons is ranked tenth in career assists (197), and with another season the point guard will look to move up the list next year.

UNDER THE BELT: First-year head coach Kelly Warnke guided the Lutes to a 14-11 record this season. In Warnke’s first year at the helm of a college program she was able to extend PLU’s streak of 11 consecutive winning seasons. The streak is the second longest in the conference behind George Fox. Not knowing what to expect coming into the season, many Lute faithful can breath a sigh of relief and as things appear to be going in the right direction under Warnke.

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