WOMEN
WHITMAN (14-1, 6-0 NWC) VS. LINFIELD (7-8, 3-3 NWC)
TIPOFF AT 6 P.M.
Carrying momentum after downing Puget Sound last Saturday, the Wildcats look to shake up the Northwest Conference tonight when they take on the Whitman Blues in McMinnville.
Linfield's dynamic duo of
Kory Oleson and
Molly Danielson rank sixth and seventh, respectively, among leading NWC scorers. Whitman star Casey Poe tops all scorers in the conference, averaging nearly 18 points per night.
Whitman's only loss came to Eastern Oregon in the Blues' season-opening game. Whitman has since won 14 straight games and sits in first place in the conference standings. With a 3-3 NWC record, Linfield sits a game back of the No. 4 playoff spot.
Showing signs of improving ball security in recent weeks, Linfield squares off against a stout Whitman defense. Offensively, Linfield need its stars to shine.
Paige Graham, who shot 54 percent from the field, including four buckets from deep on her way to 16 points against Puget Sond, will need a similar performance in order to space the floor against Whitman. Her ability to connect on three-pointers will factor in to the Wildcats' ability to flow offensively.
While Whitman's record shows the Blues are nearly perfect, Whitman came close to an upset in its last game to George Fox in Walla Walla, 77-71. The Wildcats home-court advantage and confidence after cruising past the Loggers appears crucial to their success against one of the nation's top-ranked teams.
Friday night is White Out Night at Ted Wilson Gym. All fans are encouraged to wear a white shirt in a show of support for the Wildcats.
MEN
WHITMAN (15-0, 6-0 NWC) VS. LINFIELD (11-3, 5-1 NWC)
TIPOFF AT 8 P.M.
After coming painfully close to shocking top-ranked Whitman a season ago, Linfield looks to take make another run at knocking off the unbeaten Blues in the Northwest Conference tonight.
In a battle of strength-on-strength, the NWC-leading scoring offense of Whitman is matched against Linfield's lowest-scoring defense. The Blues produce 102 points per game while the Wildcats allow just 67 points. Pace of play, shot selection and the ability to slow down games have instilled confidence in the red-hot Wildcats, who enter with a four-game win streak.
The Blues are backed by two of the top stars in the NWC. Joey Hewitt and Tim Howell are the conference's third and fourth leading scorers, respectively. Both average more than 17 points per night.
Linfield answers with seemingly a different hero each night. Last week,
Dempsey Roggenbuck's 20 points,
Parker Collins' early triples and
Tyler Watts' consistency led the charge for Linfield.
Whitman has scored more than 100 points in nine games this season. While Linfield has yet to reach 100 points this season, no team has scored more than 75 points against the Wildcats defense over the last month.
An incredible atmosphere is expected at Ted Wilson Gym tonight when the 'Cats take the floor. If the Wildcats are able to pull off the upset, it will be the first time Linfield has beaten a No. 1 ranked team in program history.
Show support for the Wildcats by wearing white as part of White Out Night at the House of Hustle.
