PARKLAND - Warner Pacific scored 13 unanswered point during a 4 1/2-minute stretch of the first half on Tuesday night and went on to beat Pacific Lutheran, 75-53, in the women's basketball home opener for the Lutes in Olson Auditorium.
The Lutes, 0-2 this season, never led in the game, but cut an early deficit down to two points at 21-19 when Megan Abdo drained a three-point shot with 8:16 remaining. PLU didn't score again until Sarah Barnes hit a jumper with 3:13 left in the period, but by then the visiting Knights held a 34-21 lead.
Warner Pacific led 43-30 at the break, and in the second half the Lutes were able to cut their deficit to less than double digits only once, that when Abdo's free throw made it 47-38 about four minutes into the period.
Abdo, a freshman guard from Arlington, found the mark from the floor, hitting 7-for-10 overall and 3-for-5 from long range on the way to an 18-point outing. She added five assists and two steals. Samantha Potter led the Lutes in rebounding with 10, and Amber Stokes came off the bench to score eight points and grab five rebounds.
The Knights, now 3-2 for the season, hit 51 percent (26-for-51) from the field, 50 percent from three-point range (8-for-16) and 79 percent from the charity stripe (15-for-19). PLU, meanwhile, converted at a 39 percent race (23-for-59) from the field, 25 percent (4-for-16) from beyond the arc and just 33 percent (3-for-9) from the free throw line.
Morgan Wolff had a big game for Warner Pacific with 25 points, including 5-for-9 from three-point land. Nichole Jackson, who came into the game averaging nine assists, had 12 in this one, including 11 in the first half before sitting out the majority of the second period. Tori Carroll hit all four of her shot for eight points and also grabbed a team-high six rebounds, all of that in a reserve role.
PLU opens Northwest Conference play this weekend with a pair of games on the eastern side of the state. It plays Whitman at 6 p.m. Friday in Walla Walla and Whitworth at 4 p.m. Saturday in Spokane.
- PLU -