McMINNVILLE, Ore. — Jordan Clark scored 12 points and pulled down six rebounds, and Negasi Hart collected 10 points and three assists off the bench to help the Linfield Wildcats cruise past the Pacific Lutheran Lutes 72-59 Friday at Ted Wilson Gymnasium.
 
What it means
By securing the victory, the Wildcats improve to 3-1 in the Northwest Conference and 9-3 overall. The Lutes drop to 2-8 and 0-3.
 
How it played out
Dempsey Roggenbuck scored five of the Wildcats' first nine points as the 'Cats jumped out to an early seven-point lead. Recovering from an early deficit, the Lutes battled back to take the lead with seven minutes remaining in the half. But the lead was short-lived. By the end of the first half, Linfield had separated itself from PLU, building a 16-points halftime bulge. Throughout the second half, the 'Cats kept their distance from the Lutes on the way to a convincing 13-point victory.
 
Linfield by the numbers
Tyler Watts turned in a solid all-around performance, scoring nine points to go with six rebounds, seven assists and a steal. Roggenbuck finished with seven points while forcing a steal and grabbing one rebound. Backup center Austin Hilton contributed 11 points and point guard Troy Arce recorded four assists, five points and two rebounds.
 
How the Lutes stacked up
Dylan Foreman led PLU with nine points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Markus Glenn added eight points and a steal. Zac Webb and Kelton Williams chipped in with seven points apiece. Leighton Kingma scored five points while grabbing five rebounds.

Team comparison
The Wildcats shot 47 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc. The Lutes hit 47 percent of their field goals attempts, but just 22 percent from three-point range. Linfield outrebounded PLU by a 33-20 margin.
 
Next
Linfield hits the road Friday to play the Lewis and Clark Pioneers in Portland. Tipoff is at 8 p.m. at Pamplin Sports Center.