SALEM, Ore. -- A scoring surge straddling the opening two quarters set the stage for a road victory on Friday night for the Pacific Lutheran University women's basketball team, dispatching Northwest Conference rival Willamette University 68-56 inside the Cone Field House.

The Lutes' (5-10, 2-4 NWC) Taylor Schmidtke scored the opening two buckets of the game but the host Bearcats (5-9, 2-3 NWC) responded with 18 of the next 24, installing an 18-10 lead with 3:20 remaining in the first quarter.

PLU answered by scoring 18 of the next 19 points, part of a larger 22-3 spurt to seize control of the game. An Ashley Akamine free throw started the run that saw Sydney Reisner drain a three to make it a one possession game. A Shaella Allen-Greggs jumper tied the game at 18 heading into the second quarter while another Allen-Greggs bucket to open the second put the Lutes back in the lead, an advantage they refused to surrender the rest of the evening.

An Emi Wada trey made it 28-19 with 5:33 left in the half before a Wada layup made it a 10-point gap with 3:56 left before halftime. The Lutes entered the locker room at halftime nursing a 34-28 lead.

The lead was reduced to five midway through the third but Pacific Lutheran scored the next six, including a Samura layup to make it an 11-point gap. PLU held an eight-point gap heading into the fourth. Willamette narrowed the score to five at 51-46 with 7:49 left in the game but Reisner made the Bearcats pay, banging in a trey on the ensuing possession. The Lutes would slowly pull away over the final minutes, cementing a 12-point victory.

Three Lutes ended the night in double figures with Samura and Reisner both scoring 16 points. Samura added nine rebounds while Reisner was a big threat from beyond the arc, draining four of her seven attempts from beyond the arc. Schmidtke contributed 11 points with Allen-Greggs netting season-highs of seven points and eight rebounds.

"We knew owning the glass would be a key to the game and everyone chipped in on the effort," said Head Coach Lee Aduddell.

"Ashley's toughness in the second half set the tone for us tonight. It's hard to win on the road and we battled all night for this win."

PLU ended the night shooting at a 42.6 percent clip (26-for-61), including shooting 50 percent (seven-for-14) from the floor in the fourth quarter. The Lutes enjoyed a 43-25 rebounding edge, amassing 17 offensive boards on the night, owning a 32-20 edge in points in the paint and a 16-3 advantage in second chance scoring.

The Lutes are back in action next Friday night, welcoming Lewis & Clark College to Olson Gymnasium. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m.