TACOMA, Wash. - The Pacific Lutheran University women's basketball team battled for 45 minutes in a see-saw affair featuring seven lead changes and eight ties. When the dust settled it was visiting Whitworth University emerging victorious, edging the Lutes 74-71 in overtime inside Olson Gymnasium. 

The Lutes (14-9, 7-8 NWC) trailed by five with 3:20 remaining in regulation before scoring the next six, taking a 61-60 lead on a pair of Katie Taylor free throws with 1:47 left. PLU's advantage grew to three on a Madison Salisbury layup with 43 ticks left but the Pirates (12-12, 7-8 NWC) fought back, tying the game on a layup with four seconds remaining. The Lutes had a chance for the win in the waning moments but missed a jumper at the buzzer extended the game into overtime. 

In overtime, Whitworth scored the opening four points and led the entire period. PLU cut the gap to a single point on a Salisbury free throw with 42 seconds left and had the ball down one with 4.7 seconds left before an untimely turnover put the ball back in Whitworth's hands. The Pirates' Madison Moffat made both her free throw shots and a desperation Lute three fell short as Whitworth emerged with the win.

PLU scored the opening nine points of the game but Whitworth fired back with the next 10 and closed the first quarter on a 17-2 run to take a 17-11 advantage. PLU battled back in the second, cutting the deficit to just 28-26 at the half after Taylor hit a three with 10 seconds remaining.

"That was a tough loss," said Head Coach Jennifer Childress. "The entire game we traded blows, we just ran out of time at the end. The team showed a ton of tenacity and battled every minute."

Emma Janousek led the Lutes with 17 points, eight assists, and four steals while Taylor came off the bench and scored 12. Salisbury netted the double-double, scoring 11 points while grabbing a game-high 13 boards along with racking up three blocks. Anna Hurd chipped in nine with Kristin Sturdivan and Lauren Furu each adding seven.

"We'd like to thank the Lute crowd for making this such a fun atmosphere to play in. We appreciate everyone coming out tonight."

PLU enjoyed a 36-22 advantage in points in the paint but cam up short from beyond the arc, hitting just 10 percent (two-for-20) of its three-point tries while the Pirates converted seven treys over the course of the evening. 

The Lutes close out the regular season tomorrow afternoon, hosting 25th-ranked Whitman College at 4 p.m.