TACOMA, Wash. - The Pacific Lutheran University men's basketball team will be heading to Oregon for the second consecutive weekend, taking on a pair of Northwest Conference opponents in the final road trip of the regular season. The Lutes open the trip on Friday against Pacific University before squaring off against Lewis & Clark College on Saturday. 
 
The Lutes (7-13, 4-8 NWC) are coming off a split weekend, falling 85-77 to Willamette University and defeating George Fox University, 79-69. Junior Conor Geiger had a season high 23 points against the Bearcats. Leighton Kingma had a great game against the Bruins, leading the Lutes in scoring putting up 27 points. Freshman, Jordan Thomas was 2 steals away from a triple-double scoring 14 points and collecting 10 rebounds to add to his 8 steal effort in the victory over George Fox. 
 
The team has faced both of this weekend's opponents earlier this season.  
 
The last time the Lutes faced the Boxers, the team struggled to keep up with the fast pace game and intense full court pressure Pacific brought to Olson. This style led to Pacific forcing 33 turnovers and claiming the 116-83 victory. 
 
"We've put an emphasis on rebounding this week at practice. Their incredible pace makes rebounding very important, because second chance opportunities can really add up if we struggle to bring down defensive boards. We have additionally done some drills this week where the offense is outnumbered by the defense to try to replicate their hectic defensive effort," said Kingma.
 
The Lutes found success against the Pios the last time the two teams squared off. Kelton Williams, Jordan Thomas, and Leighton Kingma all had 19 points against Lewis & Clark, securing an 85-79 win back on Jan. 11.
 
"Success isn't necessarily just about wins and losses. I hope the team takes a positive step forward regarding our effort and defensive intensity like we did last Saturday. I also hope we show improvement with our ability to handle pressure in the full court. Both of these games are winnable for us, and it would be awesome if we came out with two wins."
 
The road trip begins at 8 p.m. on Friday where the Lutes will take on the Boxers in Forest Grove. On Saturday, the team heads to Portland to take on the Pios at 6 p.m.
 
Feb. 8: PLU vs. Pacific in Forest Grove, Oregon (8 p.m.)
 
Series History: The Lutes and Boxers have met 106 times since the series first began during the 1939-1940 season with PLU holding a commanding 86-40 edge in the all-time series.
 
About the Boxers: Pacific (9-13, 3-10 NWC) snapped a four-game slide on Tuesday, edging Willamette 113-111 with John Rigatti providing the winning layup with seven seconds left. The high-octane Boxers have scored in triple digits in 15 of their 22 games this season.
 
Marcus Wallace leads the team in both scoring (21.0 points per game), and rebounding (4.8 per game), while Davis Holly and Gage Shelmidine add 13.9 and 13.8 ppg, respectively.
 
Feb. 9: PLU vs. Lewis & Clark in Portland, Oregon (6 p.m.)
 
Series History: PLU enjoys a 70-59 edge in the all-time series that dates back to the 1938-1939 season. 
 
About the Pioneers: Lewis & Clark (7-14, 3-9 NWC) dropped its first six games of the NWC slate but has been playing .500 since, picking up wins at the expense of Willamette (80-73), Linfield College (90-81), and George Fox (94-84). 
 
Four Pioneers average in double figures with Zeke Crawford leading the charge with a 12.3 points per game average. Mak Hutson adds 10.8 ppg with Daelon Floyd dropping 10.6. Kyle Owens chips in 10.3 ppg. Crawford additionally paces Lewis & Clark on the glass, hauling in 7.8 rebounds per game.