TACOMA, Wash. — The Pacific Lutheran University women's basketball team went toe-to-toe with 21st-ranked Whitman College in the opening half but ultimately couldn't match the firepower of the nationally-ranked foe, stumbling 80-47 in the Northwest Conference opener on Friday night inside Olson Gymnasium.
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The in-state rivals traded buckets in the opening minutes with the score tied at 2-2, 4-4, and 6-6. The reigning league champion Blues (6-1, 1-0 NWC) Â ripped off the next 11 points, staking a 17-6 lead with 2:58 left in the first quarter but the Lutes refused to back down.
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PLU (0-5, 0-1 NWC)Â scored the next 11 points, spanning across the opening two quarters.
Emi Wada sparked the run with a three with 1:53 left in the first before an
Ava Edmonds layup early in the second quarter knotted the game at 17. It remained a one possession game until the Blues made a move midway through the second, mounting a 17-3 run and enjoying a 38-24 advantage at the halftime intermission.
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"Whitman is a great team and I'm really proud of the way we competed with them in the first half," said Head Coach
Lee Aduddell.Â
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"Unfortunately, we didn't do the things we needed to do defensively to slow them down. We have to learn to compete for 40 minutes and when we do we could be a pretty fun team to watch."
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Edmonds led the Lutes with 11 points while also grabbing five rebounds and collecting a pair of blocks.
Sydney Reisner chipped in nine points while
Ashley Akamine had eight along with five rebounds.
Stacie Spahr led the Lutes on the glass, securing six boards.Â
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The Lutes were even with the Blues in points in the paint, both scoring 28 inside but the Blues sunk 11 treys on the night while PLU struggled at the charity stripe, shooting just 41.7 percent at the line.Â
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PLU closed out their opening NWC homestand tomorrow afternoon, hosting Whitworth University at 4 p.m.
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