TACOMA, Wash. – The much-anticipated season debut for the Pacific Lutheran University men's basketball team lived up to the billing, as the Lutes used a second-half rally to knock off Whitman College, 76-68, for their first win over the Blues in five years.
Both teams had plenty of rust to knock off in the first half as they combined for 20 turnovers and 26 personal fouls. The Lutes shot just 28 percent from the floor and were 1-for-10 from beyond the three-point arc in the first 20 minutes as the visiting Blues held a 31-26 advantage at halftime.
PLU (1-0, 1-0 NWC) found its stride in the second half. Trailing by eight with 14:20 left in the game, the Lutes scored eight straight points and knotted the score at 41 with 11:23 remaining on a free throw by
Seth Hall. The two Northwest Conference foes went back and forth for the next four minutes, before a
Jordan Thomas freebie gave the home team a 55-54 lead they wouldn't relinquish. Nine straight by sophomore
Sean McCurdy put the Lutes up seven and back-to-back three-pointers gave PLU a 10-point edge with just 3:15 left in the second half.
The Blues (0-1, 0-1 NWC) didn't quit and cut the lead to as few as three down the stretch, but PLU was able to knock down enough from the charity stripe to walk away with an eight-point victory.
Despite the sluggish first half, the Lutes shot a blistering 60.7 percent from the field in the second and were 6-for-11 from long range. Hall poured in 19 of his game-high 26 in the second frame and finished the contest with eight boards. Thomas was limited to only 27 minutes because of foul trouble, but tallied 17 points, eight rebounds, three steals and a pair of assists. McCurdy finished with a career-high 15 and added five rebounds.
Brett Williams didn't score, but the sophomore passed out seven assists and snagged a pair of rebounds.
The two squads square off again tomorrow inside Olson Gymnasium on the campus of Pacific Lutheran University at 6:00 p.m.
