PARKLAND - Samantha Potter led a balanced Pacific Lutheran offense with 15 points and she also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds Monday night to lead the Lutes to a 75-63 non-conference women's basketball win over the visiting Trinity University Tigers in Olson Auditorium.

Potter, a frosh center out of Sunset High School in Beaverton, Ore., grabbed seven of her rebounds on the offensive end of the floor in helping the Lutes improve their season record to 2-1. Abby Dietert led all scorer with 24 points for Trinity, which is now 1-4 this season.

Joining Potter in double-figure scoring for the Lutes were Mackenzie Bieker and Angel Pele with 12 points apiece and Melissa Pixler with 10 points. Danielle Hubenak had 12 points and Anne Waidelich grabbed seven rebounds for Trinity.

Bieker scored all 12 of her points in the first half, and she got seven in a row as PLU turned a 25-24 deficit with about five minutes left into a 42-32 halftime lead. The Lutes were 6-for-7 from three-point range in the opening 20 minutes. Pele, who had four treys in the game, hit a pair of three-point shots and Potter scored eight of her points in the second half as the Lutes led by as many as 20 points, 66-46 with 8:48 left.

With Dietert scoring 14 of her points in the second half, Trinity put together one last surge, cutting its deficit to 70-61 with 1:25 remaining, but Pele drilled a three-pointer on the other end to seal the game for PLU.

Pacific Lutheran opens Northwest Conference play at 6 p.m. Friday when it hosts the Pacific Boxers in Olson Auditorium.

- PLU -