SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – Forcing 19 Chapman turnovers, the Linfield Wildcats penned a compelling 74-57 win over the Panthers during the opening day of action at the UC-Santa Cruz Classic at West Field House.
 
Three Wildcats scored in double figures as Linfield kept its season record perfect at 3-0. Chapman suffered the loss in its season debut.
 
"It was a tough shooting night for our team, but our defense was really effective, especially in the second half," said Wildcats coach Shanan Rosenberg. "Eric Daul, Riley Bruil and Austin Hilton really set the tone for us there."
 
1st half
Linfield trailed just once in contest – in the first minute – eventually staking a 34-22 advantage by intermission. The Wildcats shot a crisp 48 percent from the field as Grant Gibb scored 14 of his game-high 21 points in the opening stanza.
 
The Wildcats reached their first double-digit lead, 19-9, after Max Lommen converted a fast-break layup at the 10:03 mark.
 
In the period, Linfield shot 48.0 percent from the field, substantially better than Chapman's 26.9.
 
2nd half
Little changed for Chapman in the second period as Linfield kept the pedal to the metal throughout the closing 20 minutes. Dempsey Roggenbuck totaled 10 points in the period while Hilton netted eight points and four rebounds in a starting role.
 
Linfield ledger
Gibb made 8 of 15 shots to finish with a game-high 21 points. The junior transfer added five rebounds. Roggenbuck dropped in 17 points while snaring seven rebounds and four steals. He and Hilton were the game's leading rebounders.
 
Tanner Autencio came off the bench for 22 meaningful minutes, scoring eight points and adding four rebounds and three steals.
 
After going 4 for 8 from three-point range in the first half, the Wildcats cooled off considerably from long distance, hitting just 1 of 9 threes after intermission.
 
Linfield came away with 17 steals, coming with four thefts of the Linfield single-game record of 21 set against Northwest Indian College in 2016. It was the second-highest recorded steals total in single-game history.
 
Chapman numbers
Cam Haslam was the Panthers' leading scorer with six points. Conner Ferrier and Chandler White each added four points.
 
Rosenberg's remarks
"Dempsey and Grant found many opportunities to score and did a solid job for us. I was also pleased with our second-half rebounding. We played with much more tenacity.
 
"I was very proud of our energy and tempo despite shooting poorly as a team in the second half.
 
"The haunting smoke-filled skies of Northern California has us mindful of all our fellow Americans who are suffering severe loss right now as a result of the fires. We wish them all a healthy recovery."
 
Next
Linfield squares off against Cal Lutheran on Saturday as action continues at the UCSC Classic. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m.