Written by Student Assistant Jake Bilyeu

TACOMA, Wash. – The Pacific Lutheran University women's basketball wrapped up the first half of Northwest Conference play on Saturday night with an 66-62 overtime victory over Pacific University inside Olson Gymnasium.

"It felt like we were willing ourselves to victory rather than hoping to win," head coach Jennifer Childress said. "It's nice to see that change in mentality, and this win serves as a great stepping stone for us, because now the belief is there."

The Lutes (4-12, 1-7 NWC) were led in scoring by Madison Salisbury, who turned in one of her highest outputs of the year by hitting seven-of-13 shots, while shooting perfectly from the line to finish with 18 points. Kristin Sturdivan followed just behind her, as she opened the game with two crucial triples while icing the game from the free-throw line late and finishing with 12 points.

"We had been hurting ourselves in the fourth quarter recently, so it was great to be able to stretch it out and finish the game in overtime," Sturdivan said.

Overtime came after the Lutes withstood a late rally from the Boxers (3-13, 2-6 NWC) to tie the game as Pacific outscored PLU 17-9 in the fourth quarter to extend the game into overtime. The Lute defense then locked down the Boxer offense, only allowing one field goal and one trip to the line, while a timely layup from Emma Janousek helped keep the lead out of reach. Janousek's overtime score was her only bucket of the night, but she was active elsewhere, securing 11 rebounds and seven assists, along with four steals.

Kylee Johnson and Mackenzie Cooper also provided standout performances for the Lutes. Johnson opened up the Lute offense in the first half by going four-of-eight from the floor, including three-of-four from downtown to finish with 11 points. Cooper helped maintain the team's offense while also providing solid scoring to finish with 10 points, four assists, and four rebounds.

"We've been so close with so many teams, it's just so great to put the full package together, because we know we can," Cooper said.

Now the Lutes can look to build momentum off of this big win. Their first opportunity to do that comes against Whitworth University in a showdown next Friday in Spokane, Washington. The Pirates sit just above PLU in NWC standings with two wins, so the Lutes hope to continue climbing the ladder with another strong performance this weekend. After that, the Lutes take on the ultimate challenge in Walla Walla, as they try to pull off a furious upset against Whitman College, who remain undefeated in NWC play.