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Nov. 29, 2008
Sorenson Scores 23 as Lutes Defeat Wartburg, 53-46
PARKLAND, Wash. - Jen Sorenson scored 23 points off the bench to lead Pacific Lutheran to a 53-46 women's basketball victory on Saturday night over the Wartburg Knights at the Pacific Northwest Lutheran Invitational being held at PLU's Olson Auditorium.
Sorenson, a 5-3 junior guard from nearby Buckley, hit 4-of-9 three-point field goals and was 8-of-15 overall from the field in setting her PLU career high.
The Lutes (4-1) took a 12-7 lead nine minutes into the game on Meghan Dowling's layup, but the Knights replied with a 6-0 run to regain the lead they held in the opening minutes. PLU took a 23-22 lead with 42 seconds left in the half on a jumper by Sorenson, but Wartburg (2-2) got layups from Ashley Schroeder and Chelsea Holliday to close out the period with a 26-23 lead.
Wartburg maintained the lead until PLU's Jordan Westering hit a three-point shot to put her team on top, 36-35, with 12:23 to play. The Lutes proceeded to open a 46-36 advantage, with Sorenson hitting a trey during what turned into a 13-1 run. From that point, the Lutes never led by less than five points. Nikki Scott hit all six of her free throw efforts inside the final 48 seconds to ice the game for the Lutes.
Scott tied a Pacific Lutheran record, jointly held by Karen Kvale (1984), Becky Franza (2000) and Kezia Long (2005), by making all 10 of her free throws attempts during the game.
Samantha Harrington tallied 20 points in the game to give her scoring honors in the tournament with 44 points. Harrington and Sharese Van Sloten picked off eight rebounds apiece as the Knights enjoyed a 49-38 rebounding edge, including 20 on the offensive end. Trinity Gibbons led the Lutes with eight boards.
Neither team shot the ball well, owing mostly to the tight defense played by both teams. PLU shot 17-of-51 from the field, or 33 percent, while Wartburg was 17-of-62, or 27 percent, during the game.
Named to the all-tournament team were Gibbons and Sorenson from Pacific Lutheran, Harrington from Wartburg and Danielle Clauson and Angela Gimeno from Concordia-Portland.
- PLU -
