Tournament Website
TACOMA, Wash. - The Pacific Lutheran University women's basketball team struggled to match the inside game of visiting University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh on Saturday afternoon, falling 77-42 in the opening day of the sixth annual Pacific Northwest Holiday Tournament inside Olson Gymnasium.
Saturday's setback was the first blemish in PNW Tournament action for the Lutes (5-3) since the 2016 edition of the event, finishing the 2017 and 2018 tourneys undefeated.
Madison Salisbury tallied the game's opening bucket but the Titans (5-3) answered with seven straight. A
Megan Drake three cut the gap to just a single possession with 4:58 left in the first quarter only to see UW-Oshkosh close the quarter on a 8-0 run over the final 2:17 to build a 15-5 advantage. A
Toni Thibert jumper early in the second quarter knifed the deficit to single digits but the Lutes couldn't keep pace with the inside game of Oshkosh who seized a 36-17 lead at the halftime break en route to the win.
Drake paced the Lutes, finishing with 11 points and six rebounds while
Jorie Lambert netted eight points, four boards, and two blocks. Thibert and Salisbury each registered seven points while
Emma Janousek dished out a team-high four assists.
"We just had a good scout, our coaches do a really good job getting us prepared but we needed to do a better job executing on defense. I think on offense we knew we could attack and work on our kick-outs so that was the game plan but again defensively, we kind of fell back," said Drake.
UW-Oshkosh held a commanding 50-22 edge in points in the paint while enjoying a 50-35 rebounding edge. The Lutes held a 15-12 advantage in offensive rebounds while forcing 13 Oshkosh turnovers. PLU shot 57.1 percent from the field in the third quarter but mustered just a 24.6 percent (15-for-61) clip for the game while UWO hit 52.5 percent (31-for-61) of its attempts.
"We're excited to have another chance to get on the court. Everyone is motivated after tonight to play a little bit better together. Coach gave us a really good talk after the game today and I think we're excited to get after it."
The Lutes are back on the hardwood tomorrow afternoon, facing 22nd-ranked Trinity University at 4 p.m.
