TACOMA, Wash. – The Pacific Lutheran University men's basketball team welcomed Gustavus Adolphus to Olson Gymnasium on Friday afternoon. The competitive contest that featured 11 ties and 10 lead changes was ended by Jackson Reisner, who knocked down a corner three as time expired to give the Lutes a thrilling 64-61 victory over the Gusties.

The Lutes needed big plays down the stretch to take down the Gusties on Friday. Jordan Thomas was superb for the Lutes, leading everyone with 23 points on 11-for-16 shooting. Thomas scored 10 straight points for the Lutes in the final 4:53 of the game. He hit a layup to tie the game at 61 with 0:44 to play. PLU's defense stood tall, forcing a shot clock violation that set up the game-winning possession.

Head coach Chad Murray called a timeout to set up the play. Reisner inbounded the ball to Thomas, who worked it down the left side of the floor. Meanwhile, Reisner ran to the right corner for a catch and shoot three. The shot was well-contested but hit the bottom of the net as the buzzer sounded.

Thomas was sensational in Friday's game. He notched a double-double with his game-high 23 points while tying for a game-high 10 rebounds. Reisner had 13 points along with his game-winning show. Sam Noland was solid also, scoring 13 points and four rebounds.

The Lutes jumped out to a quick lead against the Gusties. Thomas attacked the hoop for a layup that gave them a 6-2 lead a little more than two minutes in. The Gusties answered with a 9-0 run. They held an 11-6 lead with 13:50 to go in the first half.

GAC led PLU 19-13 with 8:47 to play in the opening half. Noland worked his way into the paint to knock down a floater. On the next trip down the floor, Noland hit a step back to pull the Lutes to within two. After another stop. Jack Williams banked home a layup assisted by Thomas that tied the game at 19 with 6:50 remaining in the first half. The Gusties pieced together a run at the end of the first half to take a 33-28 lead into halftime.

PLU answered early in the second half. Thomas banked home a layup through contact and converted the free throw to tie the game at 35. Later, Reisner scored five consecutive points to put the Lutes up 47-46 with 10:40 to play. Eventually, Thomas took over in the late stages, the defense got a stop, and Reisner nailed the basket to give the Lutes the win.

The Lutes return to Northwest Conference play on Jan. 6 at 8 p.m. as the team travels to McMinnville, Ore. as they take on Linfield.