CLU BEAT: COACH USES REEL INCENTIVE : REVENGE IS DESIRED AGAINST PACIFIC LUTHERAN.

Byline: Heather Gripp Staff Writer

Tim La Kose wasn't taking any chances.

Tonight's game against Pacific Lutheran should be one of the easiest of the season for the Cal Lutheran women's basketball team to be motivated for, but just in case, the Regals coach planned to show them a video he knew would do the trick: the game tape from the last time the two teams met.

Pacific Lutheran defeated CLU 56-54 in the first round of last season's playoffs when the Regals missed a shot with seven seconds left, then the Lutes hit a buzzer-beater.

``We're gonna show 'em the tape to make sure they remember,'' La Kose said. ``(The Lutes) were all over the court as soon as the game ended. That feeling will be fresh in their minds.''

The Regals have four starters back from last season's team, as does Pacific Lutheran, making for a comparable matchup.

``We've been talking about it since March,'' La Kose said.

CLU is off to a 3-2 start and had nine days without a game to prepare for the 7:30 p.m. showdown.

All-conference senior guard Nicole Sanchez continued her recovery from a foot injury by returning to the lineup last week. Senior forward Haley Jones consistently leads CLU in scoring and is a top rebounder. Junior transfer Christina Mosesso is new to the rivalry but could provide the advantage the Regals need against the Lutes. She is a balanced player who has scored in double figures in each game.

Pacific Lutheran is 2-3, but one of those losses was to undefeated and two-time defending Division III champion Wheaton at last weekend's Wheaton Invitational, at which the Lutes placed third.

Senior center Tara Millet - the player who made the game-winning shot last season against CLU - leads Pacific Lutheran with an average of 14.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. Junior Lucy Barker and sophomore Becky Franza are other top threats on the team that has been plagued by erratic shooting but is consistently dangerous from 3-point range.

The Regals continue their challenging nonconference schedule Saturday at home against Concordia, another one of the five teams to beat CLU last season.

Honors: Freshman forward Alix Rucinski became CLU's second women's soccer player ever to earn first-team All-America honors. Selections were announced this week. Rucinski is the Regals' first player to earn such an honor as a freshman. The Camarillo High graduate scored a team-high 19 goals and had 42 points to lead the Regals to their ninth consecutive conference title and a berth in the West Regionals.

Senior defender Ashley Scott and junior midfielder Betsy Fisch joined Rucinski on the All-West Region first team. Senior midfielder Heidi Theis and junior forward Alia Khan were named to the all-region second team.

Bowl bound: Injuries limited Tony Weak to four games with the Kingsmen football team this season, but his performance in those games was enough to earn him a chance to play one more. The offensive lineman was selected to participate in the Aztec Bowl, a senior all-star game, on Dec. 18 in Mexico City.

Room for improvement: The Kingsmen basketball team is off until Dec. 18, but after Monday's 20-point loss to Westmont, it's not likely CLU will be taking much of a break. The Kingsmen, who also played Thursday at La Sierra, dropped to 2-2 with the 86-66 defeat in which senior Pastor Cuenca had a team-high 15 points and seven assists.

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PHOTO (color) CLU senior defender Ashley Scott made the All-West Region first team along with two teammates.

Phil McCarten/Staff Photographer