PARKLAND, Wash. – Dempsey Roggenbuck netted a game-high 20 points and the Linfield Wildcats won their fourth straight Northwest Conference game, this time rolling to a 89-60 rout of the home-standing Pacific Lutheran Lutes at Olson Auditorium Saturday night.
 
A 21-4 run midway through the second half turned an otherwise competitive game into a lopsided affair. The Wildcats upped their season record to 15-5 while moving to 9-3 in the NWC. PLU slid to 1-11 in conference play, 4-16 overall.
 
Linfield stat check
Eleven Wildcats scored points in the contest as Linfield's bench outscored the PLU reserves 44-9.
 
Roggenbuck scored every way possible, making shots from close range, long range and at the free throw line. The freshman guard finished the night 6 for 9 from the field, including a pair of three-pointers, and converted 6 of 7 from the stripe.
 
Fellow frosh Max Lommen came off the bench to tally a season-best 10 points on 4 of 8 shooting. Big men Jordan Clark, Austin Murray and Austin Hilton all contributed nine points. Linfield outworked PLU on the backboards, owning a 41-29 advantage in the rebounding column.
 
 "It was so great to see Austin Murray back, that fills our buckets," said Wildcats coach Shanan Rosenberg. "Austin is a special guy and played outstanding. He lifted all our big guys. Austin (Hilton), Jordan and Marcus were all alive in the second half."
 
While the front line was feasting on the Lutes, Linfield's guards were having a field day, too, connecting on nine three-pointers, including two each from Roggenbuck,Riley Bruil and Lommen. Tyler Watts and Bruil each finished with eight points.
 
 "Our starters locked it down to start the second half and it became contagious," Rosenberg said. "Sandor (Rodriguez), Max and Dempsey were awfully special for freshmen playing on the road."
 
The 'Cats shot 56 percent from the field for the game compared to the Lutes' 35 percent.
 
"I give PLU a lot of credit for playing a crisp first half and making it tough on us," said the coach. "I was really proud of all our guys locking down the D again.
 
1st Half
With 11 first-half points, Roggenbuck had the hot hand in the opening half, sinking 4 of 6 shots from the floor. The Wildcats made 15 of 30 field goal attempts while the Lutes hit for just 10 of 31 through the initial 20 minutes.
 
Linfield quickly assumed command, building a 10-point lead in the game's first 9½ minutes. A layup by Clark put the 'Cats in front 20-10, a lead they eventually extended to 13 points after a pair of Roggenbuck free throws.
 
With Linfield holding a 25-14 lead, PLU embarked on an 13-2 run to slice the margin to two points. A three-pointer by Leighton Kingma was followed by a layup from Sean McLaughlin with 3:49 left in the period, snipping the Wildcats lead to 27-25. Linfield closed the half with an 11-2 run of its own, capped by a buzzer-beating jumper from 10 feet by Bruil that put the visitors ahead by double digits, 38-27.
 
2nd Half
Linfield pushed its lead to 16 points 90 seconds into the second period before PLU whittled the difference down to eight on Kingma's three pointer. That was the Lutes' best and last opportunity to turn the tide in their favor. Two Roggenbuck free throws put the lead back to 10 points and within minutes, the Wildcats launched the 21-4 run that put them comfortably in front, 74-43.
 
PLU production
Kingma led the Lutes with 19 points, making 6 of 12 shots. McLaughlin finished with 14 points. Both PLU stars led their team with five rebounds.
 
Markus Glenn and Dylan Foreman both added eight points.
 
PLU was awarded just seven free throw opportunities, making six of them.
 
Next
Linfield battles the Puget Sound Loggers on the road Friday in an 8 p.m. contest before returning home to square off against Lewis & Clark in the Wildcats' final regular-season home game of the 2017-18 season.