PORTLAND, Ore. — The Pacific Lutheran University women's basketball team had a balanced scoring attack on Sunday afternoon with four players in double figures but were unable to hold on to a fourth quarter lead, coming up short 78-65 against host Warner Pacific University.

Sydney Reisner, Kate Wooten, and Ava Bright spearheaded the offense for the Lutes, all finishing with 13 points while Kylie Griffin added 10 in a back and forth affair featuring seven lead changes and six ties.

"When you go on the road you have to be dialed in defensively. In a back and forth game we just didn't do enough to force tough shots down the stretch," said Head Coach Lee Aduddell.

Visiting Pacific Lutheran led by as many as five points at multiple points in the game and enjoyed a two point advantage heading into the fourth quarter. Tied at 58, the host Knights (2-3) utilized a 14-1 run to break the game open and establish a double-digit lead. PLU whittled it back down to single digits with just over two minutes to play but was unable to get any closer. 

The Lutes (0-5) had a hot start inside C.C. Perry Gymnasium, getting a pair of buckets from Bright to stake an 8-3 advantage two minutes into the game. The lead would change hands several times over the next three minutes before a Wooten three and a Ghadir Ramadan jumper re-established a five-point buffer with 3:57 in the first. The Knights would answer taking a brief lead before the quarter ended deadlocked at 20-20. 

Neither team led by more than five in the second quarter, with the visiting Lutes taking a 34-31 lead into the halftime intermission. Warner Pacific would use a 10-2 run midway through the third period to build an eight-point lead but the Lutes mounted a 13-3 run to end the quarter with a Reisner three-pointer with two seconds left giving PLU a 56-54 edge heading into the fourth. 

Reisner hit a pair of threes and had three steals to go with her 13 points while Wooten hit three treys, had six rebounds, four assists and three steals along with her half dozen points. Bright racked up 13 in just 15 minutes of action, shooting six-for-nine from the field. Griffin added 10 points with Ramadan offering eight points and six boards. 

PLU shot 43.1 percent (28-for-65) from the field but found an inopportune time to get cold, shooting just 28.6 percent (four-for-14) in the fourth quarter. WPU meanwhile shot 46.9 percent (30-for-64) for the game, including a red-hot 62.5 percent (10-for-16) over the final 10 minutes of play. The Lutes won the turnover battle, committing a season-low eight while Warner Pacific had 12. 

"During this break before we play agan, we will be locked in on how we can defend better."

PLU takes the next 20 days off and returns to the hardwood on December 13, making the short trip to Kirkland, Washington to face Northwest University. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.