MCMINNVILLE, Ore. --- The Pacific Lutheran University women's basketball team (7-14, 4-8 NWC) fell on the road to the Linfield Wildcats (17-4, 8-3 NWC), after leading through three quarters of play.
 
Senior Taylor Schmidtke opening the scoring for both teams, notching the first basket nearly 90-seconds into the game with a jumper. Junior Sydney Reisner got hot from beyond the arc, sinking back-to-back threes to put the Lutes up 8-2 early in the first quarter. The Wildcats cut the deficit to two-points a trio of times, but Kasidy Javernick's layup helped the Lutes to a 14-11 lead after one.
 
Linfield began the second quarter with a 4-0 run, but Reisner's free throws quickly put the Lutes up 17-15 three-minutes into the quarter. She continued her streak from beyond the arc, draining her third three of the game, accounting for 14 of the Lutes first 20 points of the game. Stacie Spahr, Emi Wada, and Ashley Akamine combined to give the Lutes a 26-17 lead before Linfield was able to score at the buzzer to make it a 26-19 game at the half. The Lutes defense held the Wildcats to just eight-points in the second quarter.
 
Schmidtke drilled a three to begin scoring in the second half, giving PLU their largest lead of the game (10). Linfield cut into the deficit with a 7-0 run before Schmidtke made the Lutes next basket and her second deep ball of the quarter. Yet another 7-0 run from the Wildcats gave them their first lead of the second half with 16-seconds remaining in the third. Wada made a buzzer-beating layup to put the Lutes back on top by one, 38-37, with one quarter to play.
 
Freshman Brooke Samura scoring on the opening possession of the fourth, putting the Lutes up three, but a 6-0 run gave the advantage back to Linfield early in the quarter. Javernick sank a jumper followed by a three to knot the score at 45-45 with 6:29 remaining in the game. From there, the Wildcats 7-0 run was only halted by a Reisner three, but the Wildcats wouldn't surrender less than a three-point lead for the remainder of the game.
 
Linfield closed out the game on a 9-2 run to take down the Lutes, 64-53.
 
Reisner led the scoring efforts with 17-points after sinking four of the Lutes seven total threes on Saturday. Akamine notched another double-digit scoring effort, scoring 11-points while grabbing two rebounds. Stacie Spahr led the Lutes with 11 rebounds in 25 minutes played. PLU shot 35.8% from the field and 38.9% from beyond the arc in Saturday's contest.
 
The Lutes will quickly turn around and host cross-town rival Puget Sound on Tuesday night inside Olson Gymnasium at 8 p.m.
 
 
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