OLYMPIA, Wash. – Putting up 26 points off turnovers and 21 second chance points, the Pacific Lutheran Lutes picked up a 65-58 win over the Evergreen Geoducks in a non-conference women’s basketball game on Saturday evening at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.
The two squads kept things tight early on before Pacific Lutheran (4-4) pulled ahead by seven with 13:16 left to play but the Lute advantage didn’t last long as Evergreen (2-8) went on a 19-2 run to take a 10-point lead of their own at 28-18. Momentum shifted back towards PLU for the remainder of the half as an 11-2 run cut the Geoduck lead to just one point at halftime, 30-29.
The Lutes took back the lead less than two minutes into the second half and maintained the advantage for much of the period before Evergreen was able to tie things up with 8:41 on the clock following a layup by sophomore Danielle Swain (Rainier, Wash./Black Hills HS). Following a PLU free throw, Evergreen took a one-point lead on a Mele Rich (Lakewood, Wash./Pierce CC) basket.
After a few unsuccessful possessions on both ends of the floor, PLU hit a three-pointer that gave them back a two-point lead with 6:25 left to play and the Lutes would never look back as they earned the 65-58 win. The Lutes shot 37.5% for the game, going 12-for-32 in both the first and second halves.
Evergreen was led by 22 points from Swain, who also had eight rebounds and four steals on the night. Junior Jessica Edge (Lake Stevens, Wash./Skagit Valley CC) added 19 points and 10 rebounds for Evergreen. The Geoducks were just one-of-11 from behind the three-point arc.
Pacific Lutheran was led by 21 points and 12 rebounds from Samantha Potter. Shelly Kilcup added 19 points in the win. PLU was strong on the offensive glass, picking up 22 offensive rebounds to go with 19 on the defensive end.
Evergreen returns to Cascade Conference play on Monday evening when they make the trip to Corban University. Tip with the Warriors is set for 5:30 pm in Salem, Ore.
