SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — Riding the momentum for their season opening victory Friday, the Linfield Wildcats downed the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens 79-70 Saturday, part of the Mission Inn Classic hosted by UC-Santa Cruz at Kaiser Permanente Arena.
Bruil rules
Wildcats junior
Riley Bruil recorded a game-high 20 points, while adding two rebounds, an assist and a blocked shot. Bruil turned in a perfect shooting night, hitting all six of his field goal attempts (4-of-4 from three-point range) and all four free throw tries.
How it played out
In the first half, the Wildcats and Sagehens, battled through eight first-half lead changes. In the second half, Linfield took control, generating leads as as large as 15. Realizing some breathing room, the Wildcats found their groove and never relinquished the lead in the second half.
"I was very proud of our guys tonight in that they played very hard and together against a very good Pomona-Pitzer team," Linfield head coach
Shanan Rosenberg said. "
Jordan Clark and
Riley Bruil had terrific nights, Riley didn't miss a shot and Jordan was presence for us on both sides of the ball."
Clark played important minutes for the Wildcats, netting 16 points and seven rebounds. Freshman
Dempsey Roggenbuck continued his impactful play, scoring 13 points while also adding four rebounds and a steal off the bench.
"Dempsey made some key plays for tonight as well and really showed well this weekend," Rosenberg said.
Tyler Watts and
Troy Arce each added nine points, and
Austin Hilton delivered two points, a blocked shot and a steal.
Rosenberg was pleased with the effort he saw in the team's weekend debut.
"Our whole team brought great energy and I was very proud of them. Our second half defense in particular was on point."
Pomona-Pitzer summary
Daniel Rosenbaum led the Sagehens with 15 points and six rebounds. Elan Micah scored 11 points and grabbed three rebounds; Corbin Koch had 10 points; and Alex Preston added 13 points and three rebounds.
Where they stand
With the win, the Wildcats move to 2-0 on the season. The Sagehens drop to 0-1.
Coming up
The Wildcats enjoy a few days off before returning to action Tuesday against La Verne at Braun Athletic Center in Pasadena, California. Tip-off is slated for 4:00 p.m.