TACOMA, Wash. - The Pacific Lutheran University men's basketball team will be heading to eastern Washington this weekend to take on some of the best teams in the nation, facing fourth-ranked Whitman College on Friday and sixth-ranked Whitworth University on Saturday. 
 
The Lutes (6-8, 3-3 NWC) leave for the Whit's after earning a split at home last weekend. The Lutes took down Lewis & Clark College 85-79 before suffering a tough loss to Pacific University 116-83. Leighton Kingma, Kelton Williams, and Jordan Thomas all had 19 points against the Pioneers in a game that featured eight lead changes and four ties. PLU trailed 73-51 with just under five minutes left before Zac Webb kicked off an 8-0 run to put the Lutes up for good.
 
The following evening Thomas led the way, scoring 13 points against the high-octane Boxers who used an early 22-3 run early in the game to seize control. 
 
The Lutes will have their hands full this weekend as Whitman and Whitworth occupy the top spots of the NWC leaderboard. Both of their opponents are nationally ranked and this weekend will be a great way for the up and coming Lutes to see where they stand against the nation's best. 
 
The first stop for the Lutes will be in Walla Walla before heading to Spokane on Saturday.
 
Jan. 18: PLU vs. Whitman in Walla Walla, Wash. (8 p.m.)
 
Series History: The Lutes and Blues have battled on 117 occasions since the series began in 1953-1954 with PLU owning a 73-44 advantage in the all-time series. 
 
About the Blues: Fourth-ranked Whitman (14-1, 6-0 NWC) heads into Friday riding a 10-game win streak and are currently undefeated at home inside the Sherwood Athletic Center. 
 
The Blues' lone blemish of the season was a 112-109 double overtime setback on Nov. 24 against Pomona-Pitzer Colleges. Whitman has been unstoppable since, ripping off 10 straight including close shaves against Illinois Wesleyan University (105-103) and NWC rival Whitworth (100-98). Last weekend saw the Blues defeat both Linfield College (98-89) and George Fox (81-69) on the road in Oregon. 
 
Joey Hewitt leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.8 points per game while Darne Duckett and Jack Stewart add 11.7 and 11.1 ppg, respectively. Austin Butler is Whitman's top rebounder with 6.3 rpg.
 
Jan. 19: PLU vs. Whitworth in Spokane, Wash. (6 p.m.)
 
Series History: The Lutes and Pirates will be renewing the rivalry for the 149thtime on Saturday with Whitworth holding an 84-64 lead in the all-time series. 
 
About the Pirates: Sixth-ranked Whitworth (13-2, 5-1 NWC) heads into the weekend having won 10 of its last 11 games. The lone slip up for the Pirates was the 100-98 setback to Whitman back on Jan. 8. Since then, Whitworth survived a pair of scares on the road, winning 88-85 against George Fox and escaping Linfield with a 78-75 win.
 
Ben College is Whitworth's most prolific scorer, averaging 21.5 points per game with Kyle Roach adding 17.3 ppg. Jordan Lester adds 11.7 ppg while Jared Christy chips in 9.2 ppg and a team-best 9.9 rebounds per game.