TACOMA, Wash. - The Pacific Lutheran University women's basketball team, winners of three of the last four, look to remain hot this weekend, traveling down to Oregon for a pair of games against Northwest Conference rivals George Fox University and Linfield College.
The Lutes (9-10, 4-6 NWC) are coming off a weekend at home where they fell short against nationally ranked Whitman College 63-51 before bouncing back and beating Whitworth University 80-71 on Saturday. Against Whitman, the Lutes were in the game until the Blues made a late run to pull away. Senior
Emma Janousek led the scoring effort with 12 points. The win over Whitworth included a balanced scoring effort with four Lutes in double figures led by
Katie Taylor's 16 and every Lute that played scored. The split weekend bumped the Lutes into sixth place in the conference and currently sit one game out of a playoff spot.
On Saturday night the Lutes received a big spark from junior guard
Adrianna Davis. A Seattle native, Davis filled up the stat sheet with four points, three rebounds, an assist, and zero turnovers during her time on the court. Davis has credited her "selfless teammates and consistent coaching staff" with playing a big factor in her recent success.
Looking forward to the upcoming games, Davis mentioned that they are emphasizing "finishing, being competitive, mentally tough and defense."
Keeping possession of the ball will also be a point of emphasis for the Lutes this weekend. So far on the season they have committed 50 less turnovers than their opponents have, allowing them to get open shots on more possessions. The Lutes will also be looking to climb into a playoff spot as George Fox is currently in second place and Linfield fourth in the conference standings.
Away from the court, Davis is majoring in Kinesiology with plans on teaching physical education upon graduation.
The game this Friday will tip off at 6 p.m. against the Bruins and at 4 p.m. against the Wildcats on Saturday
Feb. 7: PLU vs. George Fox inside Wheeler Sports Center in Newberg, Ore. (6 p.m.)
Series History: The Lutes and Bruins have met since the 1980-1981 season with the Bruins leading the all-time series 39-17. The Lutes have lost 26 straight games to the Blues with their last win coming back in the 2005-2006 season. In the first matchup this year the Lutes were led by
Katie Taylor who ended with 18 points but the Lutes were defeated 64-50 at home.
About the Bruins: George Fox (16-4, 8-3 NWC) have won their last five games. They won last Saturday by 18 over Willamette before defeating Pacific on Tuesday night by 5.
The Bruins are led by Emily Holder and Emily Spencer who are averaging 11.1 and 10.3 points per game respectively. Senior Kylin Collman is close behind averaging 9.8 points per game as well. The Bruins are strong on the defensive end holding opponents to an average of 56 points this season.
Feb. 8: PLU vs. Linfield inside Ted Wilson Gymnasium in McMinnville, Ore. (4 p.m.)
Series History: The Lutes and Wildcats have met since the 1980-1981 season with the Lutes owning a 49-31 advantage in the all-time series. The Wildcats won the previous matchup this year at PLU by a 76-66 margin. Kory Oleson led all scorers with 24 points in that matchup.
About the Wildcats: Linfield (11-8, 5-5 NWC) are on a one game win streak and currently sit in the 4th and final playoff spot one game ahead of the Lutes. The Wildcats were able to end a three-game skid by beating Pacific on Saturday night 61-56.
The Wildcats are led by Kory Oleson and Molly Danielson who average over 16 points per game each. The Wildcats also use their size the get high quality looks down low shooting 42% from the field and have also accumulated 60 blocks on the season.
