TACOMA, Wash. — A furious fourth quarter comeback was unable to negate and early scoring drought on Tuesday night as the Pacific Lutheran University women's basketball team stumbled 60-51 to crosstown rival University of Puget Sound inside Olson Gymnasium.

The Lutes (7-15, 4-9 Northwest Conference) outscored the Loggers 17-10 over the final 10 minutes, pulling within five points on a Brooke Samura layup with 82 seconds left in the game. That bucket capped off an 8-0 Lute run that was largely fueled by the first year who tallied six of those points. Puget Sound would hit six free throws in the final minute, staving off a Lute upset bid and hold on for a nine-point victory.
 
A Jaida Wood jumper with 95 seconds left in the opening quarter put the homestanding Lutes up 11-10 before the Loggers (9-13, 8-5 NWC) held PLU off the scoreboard for nearly eight minutes, scoring 15 unanswered points to build a 14-point advantage. Puget Sound maintained a comfortable gap the rest of the second quarter, taking a 30-17 lead into the halftime break. 
 
The UPS lead swelled to as many as 18 points on a three with 5:49 left in the third but the Lutes dug deep to make it a five point affair late in the fourth. 

"We really adjusted in the second half to make it a game but I was disappointed in our toughness through the first 20 minutes. That's not an easy team to dig yourself out of a deficit against," said Head Coach Lee Aduddell.
 
Brooke Samura finished one rebound shy of a double-double, netting 13 points and finishing with nine rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Sydney Reisner added 12 points while Ashley Akamine provided a spark off the bench with nine points and six rebounds. 
 
PLU held Puget Sound to just 36.8 percent shooting (21-for-57) on the night, including holding the Loggers to just two field goals in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately for the Lutes, the shots weren't falling on the offensive end, finishing the game shooting at a 25.0 percent clip (14-for-56). 
 
The Lutes won the turnover battle, forcing 20 Logger turnovers, enjoying a 12-9 edge in points off turnovers and a 16-7 edge in second chance points. 
 
The Lutes finish off their home slate on Saturday evening, honoring the 2025 seniors prior to tipping off against Willamette University at 6 p.m.