TACOMA, Wash. - The Pacific Lutheran University men's basketball team continues its Northwest Conference schedule on Friday night, traveling down to Salem, Oregon to take on Willamette University.
This will be the Lutes fourth game in seven days after winning their previous two matchups against George Fox University (87-76) and University of Puget Sound (75-65). The Lutes are now 6-8 overall and 2-3 in Northwest Conference play. Senior
Leighton Kingma has led the Lutes in scoring the last two games with 26 against George Fox and 20 against UPS bumping his season average to 15.4 points per game. Sophomore
Jordan Thomas also contributed a double-double on Tuesday night against UPS with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Kingma, one of three seniors on this year's roster has stepped up his game to start the conference slate. Kingma has shown his leadership on and off the court by "sitting next to teammates at the UC during dinner after a practice, or dapping up a teammate as I walk by them in between classes."
This team chemistry has shown through on the defensive end in the past couple of games as the Lutes have held their last three opponents below their season averages. Kingma mentioned a new drill they have been running during practice where "each group must either get three stops in a row while guarding against the scout offense or outlast a full 40 second shot-clock." This had really shown through as the Lutes want to be known as a hard-nosed defensive team.
Upon graduation this spring, Kingma who is a chemistry major with a minor in biology will be attending dental school next fall, or possibly the following fall. Kingma is currently waiting to hear back from two schools he applied to this cycle. It's his dream to get into UW dental school, where he interviewed in November.
Action this weekend will start at 8 p.m. on Friday night against the Bearcats
Jan. 17: PLU vs Willamette inside Cone Field House in Salem, Oregon (8 p.m.)
Series History: The Lutes and Bearcats rivalry goes back to the 1951-1952 season with PLU owning a 62-56 overall record against Willamette. The Lutes and Bearcats split the two meetings last year with each team winning on its home floor.
About the Bearcats: Willamette (1-12, 0-4 NWC) lost both games last weekend to the Whits falling by 39 to Whitworth University and 42 to Whitman College.
Daniel Plumer is the leading scorer for the Bearcats averaging 15.2 points per game on the season. Ben Sutton (12.3 ppg) and Cade Whicker (12.0 ppg) are also averaging double figures for the Bearcats. The Bearcats are averaging 71.0 points per game as a team.
