PORTLAND, Ore. --- The Pacific Lutheran University women's basketball team (9-16, 5-11 NWC) closed out the 2024-25 season on the road on Saturday, dropping their final game of the season to the Lewis & Clark Pioneers (6-19, 3-13 NWC), 74-66.
 
After over a two-minute scoring drought by both teams to open the game, senior Ashley Akamine put the Lutes on the board by going 1-2 from the line. Lewis & Clark responded with a deep ball to go up 3-1. Kasidy Javernick and the Lutes erased a pair of three-point deficits as the former sank a three with 4:27 remaining in the first to tie the game up at 7-7. The Pioneers would regain the lead shortly thereafter, and sank a bucket in the closing seconds to lead the Lutes 16-13 after one.
 
Lewis & Clark found success from beyond the arc early in the second quarter, going on a 10-3 run to stretch the lead to as large as 10. A 6-0 run in favor of PLU helped the Lutes climb back into reach, where a later three by Akamine cut the deficit to just three. Raylie Wardenaar got the Lutes as close as they had been since early in the first (two points), but yet another last-second bucket gave the Pioneers a 35-31 lead after 20-minutes of play.
 
The Pioneers opened the third with another big run of 7-0 to go up 11. Jaida Wood halted the run, but another Pios three game them a 47-33 lead halfway through the third. Brooke Samura and the Lutes ended the third on a 12-5 run, making it a seven-point game with one quarter left to play.
 
Akamine was able to cut the deficit to five for a moment in the first 90-seconds of the fourth, but the Pios responded from beyond the arc and from the free throw line to maintain an average of seven-point buffer over the course of the next three minutes. Samura scored the next eight-straight points for the Lutes, getting with in three-points with 1:38 left in the game.
 
But the Pios did their job at the free throw line in the closing minutes, ending the game on a 5-0 run, all from the charity stripe, to take down the Lutes 74-66.
 
"It's always hard to close the door on a season." Said Head Coach Lee Aduddell. "This season challenged and made us grow in many ways."
 
Samura led the way with a career high 25-points on 9-18 from the field, including a team-high two buckets from beyond the arc. Senior Stacie Spahr made her work down on the post, grabbing a team-best 10 rebounds, the fifth time she has eclipsed double-digit boards this season.  As a team, the Lutes shot 32.8% from the field, and 23.8 from beyond the arc, while the Pios went 38.9% form the field and 33.3% from three.
 
With the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, the PLU Women's Basketball says goodbye to seven seniors, finishing the season tied for sixth place in the Northwest Conference Women's Basketball standings.
 
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