TACOMA, Washington – The No. 20/15 Puget Sound women's basketball team doesn't have to travel far for a couple of neutral-site games this weekend. The Loggers take on Redlands Friday, Dec. 16, and tipoff against Coast Guard Academy the following day at 4 p.m. Pacific Lutheran is hosting both games.
 
Top 20
Puget Sound is ranked among the top 20 teams in the nation, according to two national polls released this week. The Loggers are ranked No. 20 by D3hoops.com, and No. 15 by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).
 
Wins against Whits
The Loggers began their Northwest Conference season with home wins against Whitworth and Whitman (Dec. 2-3). Kennedy Brown was named the NWC Student-Athlete of the Week following those wins. She became the 16^th member of Puget Sound's 30-point club when she dropped 32 against Whitworth. Brown enters this weekend as the conference's third-leading scorer with 17.4 points per game.
 
Light 'em up
Puget Sound has the nation's ninth-best scoring offense, averaging 78.7 points per game.
 
Swipe left, swipe right
Not only are the Loggers elite on offense, but they're also tenacious on defense. Puget Sound ranks seventh in NCAA D-III for steals per game (17.1). Katie Minnehan ranks fourth in the country with 4.71 steals per game.
 
Not shy
The Loggers attempt 30.7 3-pointers per game - the 11^th most attempts per game in the country. The Loggers make 10.0 treys per game, while no other team in the NWC averages so much as 7.5 makes.
 
Scouting Redlands (4-1, 1-0 SCIAC)
The Bulldogs began their season with a loss to Whitman, but bounced back with wins over Linfield, Pacific, and Occidental. Redlands shoots 40.9-percent from the floor, and a very respectable 38.2-percent from 3-point range. Alyssa Downs is averaging a team-high 17.8 points per game, and Hannah Jerrier is the team's leading rebounder with 9.8 boards per game.
 
Scouting Coast Guard Academy (3-5, 0-0 NEWMAC)
The Bears make home in New London, Connecticut and compete in the New England Men's and Women's Collegiate Athletic Conference (NEWMAC). After starting the season 1-5, Coast Guard won its two most recent games against Wesleyan (Conn.) and Connecticut College. The Bears commit 12.8 turnovers per game, and force their opponents into 17.5 turnovers per game. The team's leading scorer is Dorothy Stotts (13.6), and the leading rebounder is Glory Blethen (7.5).