But the Lutes ended up doing exactly that today. Minus starting wing Sudon DeSuze, who sat out after turning an ankle in Friday's game, the Lutes lost to the Missionaries 86-74. PLU is now 2-5 overall while Whitman improved to 2-3 on the season.
Whitman outscored the Lutes 21-5 at the free throw striple and made 9 three-pointers to 5 for the Lutes. That offset a 32-28 advantage in total field goals for PLU.
Michael Torbenson led PLU with 21 points, hitting 10 of 12 attempts from the field. Kurt Oliver chipped in 12 points and Brian Jochim had 11. Jake Lipscomb tied for game honors in rebounds, with 8. Landon Heidenreich recorded 4 assists, also tying for game honors.
Whitman was paced by Matt Kelly's 20 points. Erik Kofler had 18 points and 8 rebounds, while Ian Werner finished with 16 points and 4 assists.
The Lutes play their first counting home game of the season on Thursday when they host Evergreen State at 7 p.m. in Olson Auditorium.
Newspaper Box Score Pacific Lutheran vs Whitman 12/04/04 4:00 p.m. at Redlands, Calif. (Currier Gymnasium) At Redlands, Calif. (Currier Gymnasium) WHITMAN 86, PACIFIC LUTHERAN 74 PACIFIC LUTHERAN (2-5) Torbensen, Michael 10-12 0-0 21; Oliver, Kurt 4-13 2-2 12; Jochim, Brian 4-14 2-3 11; Stark, John 3-6 1-2 8; Cardwell, Drew 4-8 0-0 8; Heidenreich, Landon 3-7 0-0 6; Lipscomb, Jake 3-6 0-0 6; Carstensen, Jake 1-8 0-0 2; Mehalechko, Andrew 0-2 0-0 0; Pederson, Andrew 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 32-77 5-7 74. WHITMAN (2-3) Kelly, Matt 7-11 3-4 20; Kofler, Erik 6-18 5-8 18; Warner, Ian 5-9 5-6 16; Born, Kyle 5-8 1-1 12; Peterson, Mike 2-5 2-2 8; Parker, Nick 1-2 3-4 6; Hazel, Aaron 1-3 1-2 3; Brandal, Garth 1-1 1-2 3. Totals 28-57 21-29 86. Pacific Lutheran.............. 37 37 - 74 Whitman....................... 42 44 - 86 3-point goals-Pacific Lutheran 5-28 (Oliver, Kurt 2-8; Stark, John 1-2; Jochim, Brian 1-6; Torbensen, Michael 1-1; Carstensen, Jake 0-6; Mehalechko, Andrew 0-2; Heidenreich, Landon 0-2; Cardwell, Drew 0-1), Whitman 9-21 (Kelly, Matt 3-6; Peterson, Mike 2-4; Born, Kyle 1-1; Warner, Ian 1-5; Parker, Nick 1-2; Kofler, Erik 1-3). Fouled out--Pacific Lutheran-None, Whitman-None. Rebounds-Pacific Lutheran 36 (Lipscomb, Jake 8), Whitman 41 (Kofler, Erik 8). Assists-Pacific Lutheran 10 (Heidenreich, Landon 4), Whitman 14 (Warner, Ian 4). Total fouls-Pacific Lutheran 19, Whitman 13. A-65 Consolation Championship for the 57th Annual Fulmer Basketball Tournament