WALLA WALLA, Wash. – Freshman Dempsey Roggenbuck pumped in a career-high 31 points and the Linfield Wildcats gave unbeaten Whitman their best shot before falling 87-76 Thursday night in the semifinals of the Northwest Conference men's basketball playoff tournament at noisy Sherwood Center.
 
Keeping the point differential to single-digits for all but short stretches of play, Linfield made some amends for a 31-point loss five days earlier to Whitman, the top-ranked team in NCAA Division III. But the Blues' relentless defensive pressure and fast-paced offensive game eventually proved too much for the Wildcats to overcome.
 
Whitman (26-0) advances in the NWC playoffs to face Whitworth, which defeated Puget Sound in the other conference semifinal at Spokane.
 
Linfield (16-9) was making its second straight appearance in the NWC playoffs under fifth-year coach Shanan Rosenberg.
 
"I couldn't be more proud of our team and hard they fought tonight. That was a heck of a basketball game," said Rosenberg.
 
Linfield ledger
Roggenbuck hit 12 of 20 shots from the floor, many of them high-flying drives through the paint while also sinking four three-pointers.
 
"Dempsey was the beneficiary of many opportunities and he really honored his teammates with his play tonight," said Rosenberg.
 
Tyler Watts registered a double-double, scoring 11 points and nabbing 11 rebounds. Liam O'Reilly and Jordan Clark both totaled eight points and six rebounds. Austin Murray and Austin Hilton added six points off the bench.
 
Riley Bruil was held scoreless but nonetheless contributed five steals, four assists and two rebounds.
 
Linfield coughed up 30 turnovers while Whitman surrendered the ball just 12 times. That enabled the hosts to hoist 13 more shots attempts.
 
Despite the frenetic pace of play, Linfield shot 54 percent from the field, significantly better than Whitman's 42 percent. The 'Cats owned the backboards, outrebounding the Blues 42-23.
 
"Whitman is an exceptional team and played very well tonight," Rosenberg said. "Unfortunately, their pressure gave us problems with ball security and that was the difference. I can't recall the last time we shot 71 percent in a second half and outrebounded team by double digits and still lost."
 
Whitman stat lines
All-America guard Tim Howell led the Blues in the scoring column, making 7 of 15 shots on his way to 23 points. Joey Hewitt and Darne Duckett added 12 points apiece, while Robert Colton came off the bench for 10 points.
 
Jack Stewart was credited with seven steals and a team-high four rebounds.
 
1st half
Whitman scored the game's first eight points before Roggenbuck singled-handedly tied the game with eight straight Linfield points.
 
The 'Cats closed the period on a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to two points, 38-36.
 
Roggenbuck paced Linfield with 16 first-half points, making 7 of 14 shots, two of them three-pointers. Hewitt topped Whitman in scoring with 11 points during the opening 20 minutes.
 
2nd half
The Blues opened with a 10-2 run to take a 46-38 advantage and remained in control throughout the half, yet Linfield remained a constant threat to rally.
 
When Clark hit a layup with 3½ minutes to play, Linfield was within six points, 75-69. But moments later, as Watts converted a basket from close to make to keep it a two-possession contest with 1:18 left, he was whistled for a technical foul. Howell made both free throws and Whitman's Trevor Osborne quickly followed with a game-clinching three-pointer to make it a 10-point game with under a minute to play.
 
A memorable final game
Three Wildcat seniors competed in their final games Thursday night. Jordan Clark, Tyler Watts and Austin Murray all made key contributions to close out their Linfield careers.
 
"I am thrilled for our seniors for having such and an emotional and well-played final game," said the coach. "Those guys mean the world to me personally and to our program. Linfield should be extremely proud of these men."
 
Thank you, fans
Rosenberg was also quick to recognize the support his club has enjoyed from fans and supporters in aiding the program to reach a championship level.
 
"I want to thank everyone for their support and belief in our team and program," he said. "This team was a joy to coach and I'm blessed to lead such an amazing group of men and players."