WALLA WALLA, Wash. – It's playoff time for the Whitman College men's and women's basketball teams. After wrapping up their respective regular seasons on the road last weekend, the two-seeded men's team earned the right to host Pacific Lutheran University in the first round of the Northwest Conference Tournament on Thursday. The women will also play Thursday, but their third place finish will force them on the road, traveling to the University of Puget Sound. Both games are set to tip at 7:00 p.m. PST and the women's game will be broadcast in the foyer of the Sherwood Center during the men's game.
 
Head coach Eric Bridgeland continued to talk about the team's "one game" mindset when asked about preparation for this week, "We've been on a one game schedule for 25 straight games now. We will learn as much as we can from our previous two contests with them and look to be better. Both of our games this year have gone down to the wire.  They took us to the woodshed at home and then we had a battle in Parkland last Friday.  We are expecting one heck of a game."
 
Earlier this season the men's team split two games against PLU, each team winning on the other's home court. In late January, the Lutes handed Whitman its first and only home loss of the season, 79-74. The Missionaries shot just 43-percent in the contest and PLU dominated the boards 45-32, collecting 13 second-chance points and 37 points in the paint. Saturday night, however, Whitman bested PLU, 82-72 in Parkland, evening the series 1-1. The Whits did a much better job the second time around, shooting 48-percent and out-rebounding the Lutes 43-42.
 
"PLU has substance and grit; two qualities any successful organization respects," Bridgeland continued when asked about his team's biggest challenge. "PLU is not a team that beats itself. If we are going to be successful against them we have to have our two best halves of the year."
 
The Whitman women's team dropped both games against Puget Sound this season, the first coming at home on January 22. The Missionaries shot just 41-percent from the field and committed 19 turnovers in the 68-60 loss. Saturday's game was eerily similar with UPS prevailing 72-65. Whitman shot 42-percent and again committed 19 turnovers. "UPS has a lot of players who can score so they are a challenging match up.  We have to slow them down offensively, but also score consistently on our end," head coach Michelle Ferenz said. "We suffered from too many empty possessions last weekend and that can't happen on Thursday."  
 
If the Whits are able to take care of the ball, their defense has proven to be good enough to knock off the No. 2 seed Loggers and send the women into the NWC Championship Game. "We need to learn from last time. What worked, what didn't and what adjustments they will probably make," Ferenz continued. "Every game is a different challenge and this is the playoffs; nothing that happened before matters. To win on the road in a playoff atmosphere we will need to play a complete game.  That is the challenge.  I believe if we can do that, we will be moving on."
 
If the men's team wins Thursday it will play the winner of first-seeded Whitworth University and fourth-seeded University of Puget Sound game. The Missionaries would have to travel to Spokane to play Whitworth, but would host the Loggers in the championship game if that outcome were to come about.
 
The women's team will play the winner of the No. 1 George Fox-No. 4 Whitworth game. The Whits would have to travel to Newberg, Ore. to play the Bruins, but would return home for a game against Whitworth should the Pirates advance.