Story by Vince Ghiringhelli, UPS Sports Info

TACOMA, Wash. - In their home opener for Northwest Conference play, the Puget Sound Loggers led from start to finish and defeated cross town rival Pacific Lutheran University 61-54 in Memorial Fieldhouse.

After a sluggish start for both teams, the Loggers grabbed a double digit lead at 13-2 with just over 12 minutes left to play in the half. Puget Sound built their lead to 12 on two separate occasions thanks to 13 first half points from senior guard Claire Ely (Walnut Creek, Calif./Northgate) and lead 27-20 at halftime.

In the second half, the Loggers found their offense quickly and stretched their lead to 20 points after a 13-0 run to start the period. PLU didn't get their first basket until just under 15 minutes to play in the game, but almost mounted a comeback in the final minutes of play. The Lutes got to within four points with 24 seconds remaining, but it was too little too late and Puget Sound came up with the victory.

The Loggers were able to ice the game with stellar free throw shooting, going 17-20 on the night including Ely's 9-10 effort. Ely finished the game with 24 points and played all 40 minutes of the contest, while sophomore Jocelyn Riordan (Lake Forest Park, Wash./Shorecrest) added 16 points and freshman Lindsay Layland (Homer, Alaska/Homer) contributed 10 points . Senior Natasha Ludwig (Hilo, Hawaii/(Waiakea)lead the Loggers on the boards with nine.

The Lutes were led by 24 points by Tracy Goehri, but no other player from PLU reached double digits. PLU held a big advantage in the paint, outscoring the Loggers 28-16 on the night.

Puget Sound returns to the hardwood on Friday when they take on Willamette at 6 p.m. in Memorial Fieldhouse.