Written by Student Assistant Christian Bond

SPOKANE, Wash. – Four of the starting five for the Pacific Lutheran University men's basketball team scored in double figures, but it wasn't enough as fourth-ranked Whitworth University sank the Lutes 81-69 on Friday in a Northwest Conference clash inside the WU Fieldhouse.

PLU (4-13, 1-8 NWC) put together one of their best offensive performances of the year, leading by as many as 20-points while owning a 40-26 halftime advantage. The team shot 50 percent (25-for-50) from the field. That performance included a season high 41.7 percent performance (seven-for-17) from the three-point line. The Lutes took care of business from the free-throw line, going 12-for-16 on their freebies. PLU's offense caused the game to feature three ties, and three lead changes. Kyle James hit a lay up that tied the game at 57 with 8:57 to go but the Pirates (16-2, 8-1 NWC) scored the next 11 points to seize the lead and never look back.

"We shared the ball and took the advantage of what Whitworth presented us," said Head Coach Chad Murray. "Our guys hit some tough shots in the first half and in the second half it sort of balanced out which is what we expected. Our defense and rebounding failed us in the second half. This is a great learning experience for our guys as we went toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the country for the better part of the game."

Kelton Williams led the Lutes with 15 points. The Freshman out of Renton, Washington went seven-for-10 from the field. He added five rebounds, five assists and a steal for a solid night. Markus Glenn scored 13 points, making all five of his free-throw attempts.

Leighton Kingma and Zac Webb each added 10 points for the Lutes. Kingma knocked down two three-pointers, while pulling down three rebounds. Webb hit all three of his shot attempts, corralling three rebounds in the process.

A challenging weekend for the Lutes continues tomorrow when the team plays the best team in the nation, Whitman College, at 6 p.m.