McMINNVILLE, Ore. – Dempsey Roggenbuck scored a game-high 21 points and Will Burghardt added another 14 for the Linfield Wildcats, who rolled to a lopsided 93-60 Northwest Conference victory over the Pacific Lutheran Lutes Friday night inside Ted Wilson Gymnasium.
 
Linfield raised its season record to 4-1 and 1-0 in the NWC. PLU evened its records at 2-2 overall, 1-1 in the NWC.
 
"I was really proud of how we responded in the second half after playing a rusty and inconsistent first half," said Linfield coach Shanan Rosenberg. "Our defense created great opportunities most of the game and we finished many more plays in the second half."
 
Linfield ledger
Roggenbuck connected on 10 of 16 shots, most of them coming by way of fast-break layups through the heart of the PLU defense.
 
Burghardt went 7 for 8 from the free throw line on his way to 14 points. The sophomore point guard added three assists and three steals. Grant Gibb contributed 11 points, including a trio of three pointers.
 
Twelve Wildcats scored points in the contest, including eight off the bench from Max Lommen and six each Aaron Baune and Austin Hilton.
 
Linfield was credited with five blocked shots, with O'Reilly and Hilton accounting for two each.
 
The Wildcats totaled 20 assists to the Lutes' seven. Burghardt, Riley Bruil, Tanner Autencio and Parker Collins all passed out three assists to pace a balanced attack.
 
Lute lines
PLU big man Leighton Kingma came into the game averaging an NWC-best 22.3 points per game, but the 6-7 junior hit just 5 of 12 from the field and finished the night with 11 points and nine rebounds and three steals.
 
Combs and Kelton Williams chipped in with eight points for PLU, which shot just 29.9 percent from the field. The Lutes were 5 for 24 from beyond the three-point arc.
 
PLU won the rebounding battle 42-38, 10 of those coming from Jordan Thomas.
 
1st Half
Roggenbuck hit 5 of 8 shots in the period to lead all first-half scorers. Gibb and Bruil chipped in with six points each.
 
Linfield led the entire opening half, building leads as large as 11 points. When Burghardt swished two free throws with 4:35 to play before intermission, the 'Cats owned a 31-20 cushion and were in full control. Linfield led 36-26 at the break. The Wildcats shot 45.2 percent from the field during the opening period compared to PLU's 28.6. Tyler Combs led the Lutes with eight first-half points.
 
2nd Half
The Wildcats kept the pressure on the Lutes throughout the second period, pushing their 10-point halftime advantage to 20, 52-32, on a three-point play by Roggenbuck with 13:12 left to play. The Linfield lead eventually surpassed 30 points when Max Lommen connected on a three-pointer with 1:51 to go, pushing the 'Cats in front by 32.
 
Rosenberg's takes
"Dempsey and Will played exceptional in the second half in particular. Austin Hilton played outstanding the whole game, his defense which doesn't show up in stat sheets was outstanding.
 
"Tanner Autencio and Will Burghardt did a great job with the point responsibilities, and Liam O'Reilly was a force of fortune for us all night. 
 
"We'll get our first taste of NWC back-to-back home-road combo Saturday night. It's something only the Oregon schools do for some inexplicable reasons. Another great challenge for us."
 
Next
NWC play continues Saturday when Linfield visits the Pamplin Sports Center to battle Lewis & Clark. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. with live audio coverage on the Linfield Sports Network starting at 5:50.