WOMEN
PACIFIC (3-14, 2-7 NWC) VS. LINFIELD (7-10, 3-5 NWC)
TIPOFF AT 6 P.M.
For the third time in as many games, Linfield returns to Ted Wilson Gym in McMinnville to take on the Pacific Boxers.
 
Sitting one game back of fourth place Lewis & Clark, the Wildcats have their sights set on clinching one of the four Northwest Conference playoff spots.
 
Linfield leading scorer Kory Oleson ranks seventh among NWC scorers at 13.6 points per game. She posted a career-high 21 points against Whitman last weekend and added another 16 the following night versus Whitworth. Linfield will rely on Oleson's hot hand for a similar performance as she did the first time the 'Cats and the Boxers squared off. In that first meeting, Oleson scored a team-high 19 points in a 70-65 win at Pacific.
                                           
Linfield scored 39 bench points against the Boxers in December, a season-high that featured Oleson's 19, plus 11 from Genna Hughes and nine by Erin Burns.
 
Pacific will try to turn things around in the second half of the NWC season. The Boxers show a 2-6 record with wins over Whitworth and Puget Sound. Expect guard Jenee Brown to play most of the minutes on tonight as she is the leading source of offense for the Boxers.  
 
With a win tonight, Linfield can move to within a game of .500 in conference play. Currently tied for fifth place with Puget Sound, the Wildcats find themselves in the thick of the conference playoff race as the second half of the schedule gets underway.
 
MEN
PACIFIC (11-7, 5-4 NWC) VS. LINFIELD (11-5, 5-3 NWC)
TIPOFF AT 6 P.M.
Coming off heartbreaking losses to the NWC's top two teams, Linfield starts the second leg of the conference calendar with plans to make the postseason. Currently tied for third in the NWC standings with Puget Sound, the Wildcats sit a half game in front of fifth-place Pacific.
 
The Linfield bench has risen to become one of the top second units in the conference. Austin Hilton, Parker Collins, Negasi Hart and Sandor Rodriguez add a spark to an already dominant defense that leads the NWC in fewest points allowed. 
 
In the first meeting with the Boxers, the 'Cats fell to a well-rested group of Boxers 88-73 in Forest Grove on December 2. Riley Bruil and Troy Arce both scored 13 points while Tyler Watts added 12 and Liam O'Reilly 11. Pacific had not played the night before while the Wildcats were playing their second game in as many nights.
 
The Boxers' leading assist man is Davis Holly, who scored a season-high 25 points in the first meeting with the 'Cats. Since then, he has yet to score more than 17 points in a game.
 
Pacific will likely turn to Brevin Brown. The junior guard posted impressive numbers last weekend, including a 33-point night in a win over George Fox. 
 
Linfield plays six of its final eight regular-season games on the road after enjoying six home dates in January. Founded on solid defense, Linfield is poised to make a run at the NWC's best despite a heavy slate of road games ahead.
 
Linfield looks for payback when it meets Pacific tonight inside the House of Hustle. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. in McMinnville.