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Feb. 3, 2009
Lutes Fall to Hot-Shooting Ely and Loggers
TACOMA - Claire Ely scored 13 of her game-high 22 points in helping host Puget Sound build a 16-point halftime lead Tuesday night, and the Loggers went on to take a 79-57 Northwest Conference women's basketball victory over the Pacific Lutheran Lutes at Memorial Fieldhouse.
The Loggers (14-6 overall, 8-3 NWC) made amends for a 69-36 loss to the Lutes back on Jan. 6 and at the same time put a firm grasp on second place in the Northwest Conference standings. The Lutes (11-9, 5-6) dropped one-half game behind Whitman and Whitworth and into sixth place in the conference standings.
The first half was all Puget Sound as the Loggers built a 34-18 lead by shooting 15-for-27 from the field, 56 percent, compared to 8-for-29, 28 percent, for the Lutes. Ely scored seven of her team's first nine points and ended the half with five rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block in taking over the game from the opening tip. In fact, Ely's effort was so impressive that the Loggers didn't even need offense from their leading scorer, Karen Chase. The 6-2 post player didn't attempt a shot until halfway through the period and she ended up scoring just two points in the opening half.
The Lutes made a couple of runs at the Loggers in the second half, cutting their deficit to seven points, 39-32, on Amy Spieker's three-point field goal with 14:35 remaining. After Puget Sound rebuilt a 12-point lead, Pacific Lutheran rallied behind the inspired play of Trinity Gibbons. The senior guard had gone out of the game early in the second half after spraining her left ankle, but after getting the ankle taped she re-entered the game and soon hit a long three to make it 46-41 with 11:10 to play.
That five-point deficit, however, was as close as the Lutes would get the remainder of the game. The Loggers took a double-digit lead with 8:45 left on a basket by Chase, and the lead grew from there. The Loggers were 8-for-10 at the foul line in the final two minutes.
Puget Sound's Chase, nearly invisible in the first half, finished the game with 12 points and eight rebounds, while Jocelyn Riordan added 14 points for the Loggers. Ely tied Chase for team-high rebounds honors with eight as the hosts enjoyed a 43-32 edge in that department. Puget Sound continued its excellent shooting in the second half and finished the game 26-for-51 from the field, good for 51 percent.
Spieker scored 15 points and Gibbons added 14 points and seven boards for the Lutes, who warmed up a little in the second half but still ended up hitting just 23-for-66, or 35 percent, from the floor. Emily Voorhies scored nine points and grabbed eight rebounds for the Lutes.
The Lutes return to Northwest Conference action at 6 p.m. Friday when they host the Pacific Boxers in Olson Auditorium.
- PLU -
