SALEM, Ore. – Linfield limited Willamette to 19 first-half points on the way to a 61-47 Northwest Conference victory Tuesday night at Cone Field House.

"Once again our defense carried us through a tough perimeter shooting night. But our interior players were terrific," said Wildcats coach Shanan Rosenberg.
 
Linfield leaders
Four Wildcats scored in double figures. Tyler Watts led the way with 13 points on 5 of 6 shooting. Dempsey Roggenbuck and Austin Hilton each turned in 12 points. Jordan Clark netted 11 points to go along with seven rebounds. Troy Arce passed out four assists.
 
The Wildcats forced 17 Bearcat turnovers and held the hosts to 37 percent shooting. Linfield outrebounded Willamette 31-28 and outscored the hosts in the paint, 32-18.

"Austin Hilton, Tyler Watts and Jordan Clark all played dominating games on both sides of the ball," praised Rosenberg. "Troy Arce also was great with his leadership and toughness all night. Dempsey provided a great early spark and his defense keeps improving."
 
Willamette stats
Jordan Jenkins led all scorers with 19 points. He hit 6 of 8 shots from the field and gathered eight rebounds. Brendon McCullough finished with 17 points, sinking 6 of 10 shots.
 
1st Half
Roggenbuck and the Wildcats took charge from the opening tip, jumping to an 8-0 advantage in the game's first 3 1/2 minutes. Roggenbuck hit a pair of three-pointers to stake Linfield to the early advantage. The Wildcats' lead eventually grew to 10 points, 22-12, following a layup by Jordan Clark.
 
Linfield extended its lead to 14 points just before intermission when Clark swished a layup in the paint with 51 seconds left.
 
The Wildcats shot a crisp 56 percent from the field in the first half, compared to the Bearcats' 26 percent. Linfield outrebounded Willamette 18-12.
 
2nd Half
Though their scoring pace picked up following intermission, the Bearcats never seriously threatened the Wildcats in the second half. After a breakaway dunk by Roggenbuck, Linfield led by 18, 54-38, with 8:15 left.
 
Where they stand
Linfield raised its NWC record to 8-3, moving a 1½ games of pulling even with second-place Whitworth. The Wildcats are 14-5 overall. Willamette dipped to 4-7 in the conference, 9-11 overall.

"Nothing gets easier for us as we finish with six of seven games on the road," said Rosenberg.
 
Next
Linfield heads to Tacoma, Washington, for a Friday night matchup against the Pacific Lutheran Lutes. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. at Olson Auditorium.