UPS women rebound to beat PLU in OT

It was a defining rival-game moment for Alexis Noren on the last tick of regulation. And she wasn’t close to done.

Noren, a 5-foot-10 junior from Milwaukie, Oregon, rebounded teammate Emily Sheldon’s shot and banked in the tying basket to cap a furious regulation comeback for the Puget Sound Loggers, who then outscored Pacific Lutheran, 15-5, in overtime and finally prevailed, 79-69, Tuesday night at PLU.

Sheldon, who led all scorers with 34, scored five points in five seconds on a 3-pointer and long two-pointer around a steal by Noren to get the Loggers to 63-62 with 9.6 seconds left in regulation.

Trailing 64-62 after a Lutes free throw, Noren’s putback tied it up.

“We had said in the huddle: a rebound will win the game,” PLU coach Jennifer Childress said.

“Alexis is doing the little things that ultimately help you win a game,” UPS coach Loree Payne said.

Noren had a steal, an offensive rebound and five points in the extra period, including a triple for the last of her 19 points.

“I think the important part is we’re playing as one,” Noren said. “It doesn’t matter who’s scoring.”

“UPS has a couple kids who can step up when they need to,” Childress said. “I thought we really came out and showed we’re going to compete with everyone.”

Samantha Kelleigh led the Lutes with 15 points on five 3-pointers.

UPS (5-2, 1-0 in the Northwest Conference) visits George Fox Friday night. PLU (1-2, 0-1 Northwest) is at Willamette Saturday.

The Loggers and Lutes tangle again Jan. 26 at UPS.

Pacific Lutheran men 72, Puget Sound 60

Pacific Lutheran opened Northwest Conference play with a crisp victory over rival Puget Sound.

“I like our grit,” said PLU coach Steve Dickerson, whose Lutes improved to 5-1. “I like our ability to share the ball.”

Sophomore guard Dylan Foreman led a balanced Lutes attack with 22 points, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range. Brandon Lester knocked in 21 and Bryce Miller, a 6-6 senior from Fife, scored 11 and added nine rebounds.

A triple by Puget Sound’s Andre Lewis (14 points) pulled the Loggers within 57-53 late in the second half. The Lutes responded with two straight hoops by Erik Swartout, a senior from Eatonville, and the Loggers never got within eight points the rest of the game.

The Loggers (2-4, 0-1 Northwest Conference) had four players in double figures — Lewis, Jimmy Wohrer (12 points), Kohl Meyer (11) and Kyle King (10).

This story was originally published December 1, 2015 at 10:57 PM with the headline "UPS women rebound to beat PLU in OT."