McMINNVILLE, Ore. –Stellar defense and a career night from freshman Dempsey Roggenbuck propelled the Linfield Wildcats past the Puget Sound Loggers 86-75 Saturday night at Ted Wilson Gymnasium.
 
"So many guys stepped up tonight and played well," said Wildcats coach Shanan Rosenberg afterward. "Our effort, execution of the game plan and concentration was outstanding."
 
The Wildcats snapped the Loggers' four-game win streak, handing them their first defeat since Dec. 30 and breaking a string of three consecutive 100-point scoring outputs.
 
"That was an excellent Puget Sound team we beat tonight," Rosenberg said. "I have great admiration for how hard they play."
 
NWC at a glance
Linfield improved to 11-3 overall and 5-1 in Northwest Conference play. The Wildcats remain tied for second place with Whitworth. Puget Sound slipped to 3-3 in the NWC but remain 10-4 overall.
 
Linfield leaders
Roggenbuck sparked the Wildcat offense with a career-best and game-high 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Reserve Parker Collins got the Wildcats scoring started with a trio of three-point buckets in the first five minutes on his way to a career-best 14 points. Jordan Clark added seven points and seven rebounds. Austin Hilton wore down the Loggers with 12 points and 11 rebounds, earning the first double-double of his collegiate career. Liam O'Reilly poured in 12 second half points.
 
"Dempsey really played confident and aggressive tonight," said Rosenberg. "So did Austin and Parker. But we got quality minutes from the whole team. I was very proud of our team. They have been hungry to compete and it showed this weekend.
 
"Our guards did a tremendous job defensively all night. Troy, Riley, Eric and Tyler among others played their hearts out."
 
How it played out
Slipping out of the gates, Wildcats coach Shanan Rosenberg turned to Collins off the bench. Collins sunk his first three long-range shots, giving the Wildcats an early 12-9 lead five minutes into the game. Linfield stretched its advantage to nine after a three-point play by Jordan Clark at the 12-minute mark.
 
Leading by as many as 13 points in the first half, Linfield's defense pestered Puget Sound throughout the first 20 minutes. Trimming the Linfield lead to nine, Puget Sound trailed the Wildcats 47-38 at halftime. Averaging 100 points per game, Puget Sound was well below its usual scoring clip.
 
Wearing down the Loggers in the second period, Linfield raced to a 16-point lead with 13 minutes left to play. Calm under pressure, the Wildcats broke the Loggers' press consistently in the second frame. Adding to a double-digit lead, Linfield pulled away in the final period, thanks to crafty passing by Riley Bruil and Tyler Watts.
 
Puget Sound summary
Easton Driessen led the Loggers on the night scoring 13 points including 9-10 from the free-throw line. Jimmy Wohrer, the NWC's leading scorer, ended with 15 points on 4 of 11 shooting from the field. Spreading the scoring throughout the lineup, nine different Puget Sound players scored in the first half with Driessen's nine points leading the charge.
 
Next
Linfield looks to defend home-court with two key matchups on the horizon. No. 1 Whitman visits Ted Wilson Gym Friday with tipoff scheduled for 8 p.m. Linfield then hosts No. 3 Whitworth Saturday at 6 p.m. in a rematch of last season's NWC semifinal playoff.