TACOMA, Wash. - The Pacific Lutheran University women's basketball team returns home to face off against Walla Walla University on Thursday before heading back on the road on Saturday to face in-state rival Northwest University. 
 
Last week, the Lutes (2-2, 1-1 Northwest Conference) defeated Linfield College 80-68, behind 20-point games from freshman Katie Taylor and sophomore Madison Salisbury, and 13-point games for junior Emma Janousek and senior Kristin Sturdivan. 
 
The Lutes are looking to continue this winning form and improve as a team, as they play Walla Walla on Thursday. 
 
"We always look at our next game as the biggest game, meaning we are always working to improve and grow stronger in our individual work and as a team," said sophomore Megan Drake. "We're putting some extra focus on our defense this week after our Linfield game and I am excited to see our improvement in that area in our upcoming games."
 
Drake is wrapping up fall semester in her sophomore year, balancing both academic finals and basketball. 
 
"My favorite part about being on this team is our unselfish culture. The trust we have built allows us to truly enjoy our time together in practice and games as well as the time spent together off the court. It has been a fun season so far and I can't wait to see what's in store for us."
 
Drake is also very involved in PLU outside of basketball. She is a nursing major with no concrete post-grad plans yet, however has intentions to expand her knowledge and opportunities as she makes her way through the program's clinical placements.
 
"My family and faith have instilled in me a passion for helping others and I believe through a career in nursing I will be able care for those in their times of need and be of comfort to both my patients and their families."
 
Even with a busy academic and basketball schedule, Drake has time to fulfill her hobbies and have fun. 
 
"Outside of basketball I enjoy spending time with my friends and family, shopping, and spending time outside. I love making homemade cookies and I will never turn down a trip to Chik-fil-a."
 
Drake, along with the rest of her team are continuing to improve upon practices and games, with a goal to reach full team potential. "I am definitely looking forward to see how much growth our team can achieve this year, we have already made good progress and I don't see us slowing down anytime soon. As a team we set some conference related goals before the season and they've been a great motivator for us so far."
 
Dec. 6: PLU vs. Walla Walla inside Olson Gymnasium (5 p.m.)
 
Series History: The Lutes and Wolves have never met on the hardwood.
 
About the Wolves: Walla Walla (1-9) heads to Olson Gymnasium looking to snap a five-game slide. The Wolves defeated Salish Kootenai College 69-46 back on Nov. 11 but have come up empty handed since, dropping games against NWC institutions Whitman College (107-33), Linfield (77-48), and Whitworth University (73-54). 
 
The Wolves opened Cascade Collegiate Conference play last weekend, dropping two games against Northwest Christian University by scores of 84-59 and 82-52. 
 
Aaliyah Anderson leads the team with 14.1 points per game and 6.5 rebounds per game while Carolina Montes adds 11.4 ppg and 4.1 rpg.
 
Dec. 8: PLU vs. Northwest in Kirkland, Washington (7 p.m.)
 
Series History: The Lutes and Eagles have met 28 times with PLU holding a 21-7 advantage in the all-time series. The two squads last met a season ago with the Eagles jumping out to a big early lead en route to a 64-43 win inside Olson Gymnasium.
 
About the Eagles: Northwest (3-7, 0-2 Cascade Collegiate Conference) has struggled at home while flourishing on the road in 2018-2019, owning an 0-7 mark inside the Kristi Brodin Pavilion in Kirkland while enjoying a spotless 3-0 record away from home.
 
The Eagles snapped a five game skid on Tuesday, edging Lewis & Clark College 64-58 in Portland. L&C was the second NWC school Northwest has played this winter, suffering an 85-60 setback at the hands on Linfield back on Nov. 26. 
 
Miranda Langenhorst paces Northwest with 11.4 points per game and 11.9 rebounds per game while Ellesse Fitzgerald adds 7.6 ppg.