Pacific Lutheran University men’s basketball team members were participating in a tournament in Platteville, Wis., when they heard the horrifying news of four Lakewood Police Department officers being killed at a Parkland coffee shop on Nov. 29.
The players’ initial response, said PLU head coach Steve Dickerson, was to ask how they could help.
“Guys on the team got together and they wanted to know what they could do to help the families,” he said.
The answer: Proceeds from donations at the gate, and the sales of concessions and specially made T-shirts at PLU’s home game against Northwest University on Dec. 12, will be donated to the Lakewood Police Independent Guild (LPIG) in memory of the slain officers.
There will be no charge for admission into the game, but spectators are encouraged to donate to the LPIG fund.
“The Lakewood Police Department needs to understand how much we appreciate what they do for us,” Dickerson said.
Lutes men break through
Pacific Lutheran parlayed a 23-5 run during the middle of the second half last weekend to record its first men’s basketball victory of the season, a 67-63 non-conference decision over host Northwest Christian University.
After Quentin Guidry’s layup gave the host Beacons a 46-36 lead with 15:02 remaining in the second half, the Lutes (1-4) scored 23 of the next 28 points to take a 59-51 lead with 6:26 left. Andrew Earnest and Curtis Trondsen both knocked down a pair of 3-point shots to highlight the run.
Northwest Christian (9-3) regained the lead by two points with 1:57 left, but James Conti tied it with a pair of free throws with 1:37 remaining. The Lutes’ sophomore point guard drilled a pair of free throws to put the Lutes on top, 65-63.
“We really toughed it out in the final 10 minutes,” PLU head coach Steve Dickerson said. “We have a tough pre-conference schedule and this was a really good game to win.”
Conti finished the game with 15 points to lead the Lutes, and he tied for game-high honors with five assists. Earnest, a freshman guard, scored a career-high 14 points and Trondsen, a junior wing, added 12 for the winners.
Pacific Lutheran shot 44 percent (24-for-54) from the field and 35 percent (7-for-20) from beyond the 3-point arc. Earnest finished the game with four 3-point baskets. The Lutes had sharp marksmanship at the foul line, hitting 86 percent (12-for-14) for the game.
TCC men win again
The TCC men’s basketball team set school records for offensive rebounds (37) and total rebounds (65) on their way to a 94-64 win over Kwantlen University last weekend.
Sophomore post Darious Walker led the way for the Titans with 28 points and 14 rebounds. Walker shot a blazing 12 of 13 from the field and took down 10 offensive rebounds. Anthony Enriquez scored 17 and Chad Rasmussen 15. Rasmussen made his much-awaited debut after missing the last month with a shoulder injury.
The Titans, 2-0 and ranked fifth in the NWAACC poll, play next on Dec. 12 at North Seattle.
Women’s basketball: Lutes’ rally falls short
Pacific Lutheran rallied in the second half after trailing by 12 at the break, but it came up short in dropping an 80-71 non-conference women’s basketball contest to the host Chapman Panthers last week.
After shooting just 33 percent (9-for-27) in the first half, the Lutes scorched the nets at a 55 percent rate (17-for-31) in the final period, but they could not overcome the deficit and fell to 1-5 for the season.
Pacific Lutheran committed 35 turnovers.
Shelly Kilcup tied her career high with 23 points on 8-for-13 shooting from the field and 6-for-6 from the foul line, and she added six steals. Meghan Dowling, seeing her first significant minutes since returning from a pre-season ankle injury, scored 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in 31 minutes. Tracy Goehri scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds and Melissa Pixler added 10 points and four assists for the Lutes.
Titan women win opener
The TCC women’s basketball team opened their 2009-10 season with a win over Kwantlen University last week, 72-63.
Elaina Trammell came off the bench to score 29 points, and pulled down eight rebounds and had eight steals.
Sophomore Kalasa Taumaletia had 16 points and was 6 of 12 from the floor. She also added eight rebounds. Freshman Sarah Quantz added 13 points.
“I am very pleased with the effort the girls showed tonight,” coach Heidi Collier said.
The Titans take to the road over the next few weeks playing in several tournaments. Their next game is at the Pierce College Tournament Dec. 11 against Lane CC at 2 p.m.
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