PORTLAND – Pacific Lutheran out-scored Lewis & Clark 22-7 in the fourth quarter to complete a double-digit comeback as the Lutes clinched their first Northwest Conference road weekend sweep since 2008 with a 71-66 women's basketball victory over the Pioneers Saturday evening at Pamplin Sports Center.
Pacific Lutheran trailed by as many as 16 points in the third quarter, but the Lute defense forced nine second-half turnovers and limited Lewis & Clark to 32.3 percent shooting from the field (10-of-31) – and an 0-for-4 performance from the 3-point line – in the final two periods to key the comeback.
"Being down 12 with less than nine minutes to go, our defense forced some key turnovers we were able to capitalize on," PLU head coach Jennifer Childress said. "I'm so impressed with this team's late-game grit and execution."
While the defense proved vital to the comeback, the offense stepped up to connect on 10 of 20 3-point attempts, the Lutes' most made 3-pointers in a game in five years. Six different Lutes made 3-pointers Saturday, with Samantha Kelleigh making three and Ionna Price and Megan Abdo hitting two each. Four straight 3s from Kelleigh, Abdo and Price allowed the Lutes to tie the score at 64-64 with 3:15 remaining, and PLU made five of its six free throw attempts down the stretch to clinch the win.
Sarah Barnes scored a career-high 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting to lead the Lutes, with 15 of those points coming in the first half to help keep the Lutes in the game early. Lewis & Clark stormed out to an early lead courtesy of 8-of-12 shooting from 3-point range in the first half and a 59.3-percent overall shooting mark before the halftime break.
"The previous night's battle took a toll on our legs," Childress said. "We came out a little flat and struggled getting pressure on their shooters. Sarah was our offensive spark in the first half; she made some very athletic shots."
Abdo distributed a career-best seven assists to go with eight points in a team-high 35 minutes on the court. Abdo made both of her 3-point attempts and connected on two clutch free throws to make it a two-possession game with 15 seconds remaining.
"Megan did a great job taking care of the ball and creating scoring opportunities for our shooters," Childress said.
Lewis & Clark scored the first five points and held a 22-12 lead at the end of the first quarter after making four 3-pointers in the period. The Pioneers added four more in the second period, but Barnes scored 13 points by herself to help the Lutes out-score L&C 23-21 to go into half down eight. A six-point Lewis & Clark run midway through the third gave the Pioneers a 55-39 lead, but a 3-pointer by Kristin Sturdivan started the Lute comeback and Kelleigh closed the period with a 3 to again make it a 10-point game going into the final quarter.
After Lewis & Clark scored the first layup of the fourth period, the rest of the game was all PLU as the Lutes out-scored the Pioneers 22-5 to close out the comeback. Miyah Leith scored 23 points, while Natalie Kelly added 17 and Ayisat Afolabi added 15 for the Pioneers.
The win marks the third in a row for Pacific Lutheran and improves the Lutes' record to 9-14 overall and 5-9 in conference play. The nine total wins are the team's most since the 2008-09 season, and PLU will have a chance to extend its win streak and reach double-digit wins next weekend. PLU closes out the 2015-16 season next weekend, hosting Whitman Friday at 8 p.m. on Breast Cancer Awareness Night and taking on Whitworth Saturday at 6 p.m. for Senior Night.
