Written by Student Assistant McKenna Morin
TACOMA, Wash. – The Pacific Lutheran University women's basketball team looks to find its stride in week two of the regular season, traveling south to Olympia for a non-conference tilt with Evergreen State College ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.
One Lute who has already found her stride through the opening two games has been senior Samantha Kelleigh. The Stanwood, Washington native tied a school single game record for threes (eight) and scored a career-high 26 points against Nebraska Wesleyan University on Saturday at the Doug McArthur Classic. Through the first two games of the season, the guard leads the Lutes (0-2) in scoring, averaging 18.5 points per game, and ranks third in the category within the Northwest Conference.
"I really went into the Saturday morning shootaround with an open mind," Kelleigh said. "I took that as a challenge and went out and played hard, we still didn't get the win but we made strides as a team."
The competition against Nebraska Wesleyan last week was a game changer for Kelleigh and scoring a career high "was a huge confidence booster."
Kelleigh also attributed her success to her support system both on and off the court.
"My girlfriend (Thea Cady) has really helped me with my mental game this year and staying positive in the most crucial times," Kelleigh said. "As well as my team. My team has my back…my team is definitely my family and I couldn't have asked for a better team."
Kelleigh averaged 9.4 points per game last season in her first year with the squad after transferring from Skagit Valley College. The team and the PLU environment are what she says drew her here.
"PLU has a great community of people and the students really support the sports teams," she said. Another important factor in her move was how close the basketball team was.
"My teammates had a huge impact, they were a family and I really liked that," Kelleigh said.
Despite an 0-2 record, PLU has shown growth on the young season. The Lutes hung tough against California Lutheran University in the opener before outscoring the Prairie Wolves in the second half on Saturday. Kelleigh believes they will overcome their 0-2 start and they're on the right path.
"We all have big hearts and I know each and every one of my teammates isn't giving up," she said. "We're going to have to work our butts off every game to get that win and we don't have an easy road ahead of us but I think we're all ready for that challenge."
Nov. 23: PLU vs. Evergreen State College at Costantino Recreation Center in Olympia, Wash. (4 p.m.)
Series History: The Lutes and Geoducks have met on 15 occasions with PLU enjoying a 9-6 lead in the all-time series. The two squads clashed last season on Nov. 13 inside Olson Gymnasium with the host Lutes securing the 67-58 victory.
About the Geoducks: NAIA Evergreen State (0-4) is still searching for its first victory of the 2016-2017 campaign. The Geoducks opened the season in Kirkland, Washington at the Northwest Classic, dropping contests to Montana State University-Northern (71-35) and University of Great Falls (87-57). Evergreen State fell 65-55 to Lewis & Clark College in its home opener on Nov. 19 before suffering an 88-47 setback at the hands of Seattle Pacific University on Tuesday night.
Zaria Jones paces the Geoducks, averaging 9.5 points per game while Autumn Moorcraft adds 9.3 ppg and a team-best 5.0 rebounds per game.
