TACOMA, Wash. – Easton Driessen and Jimmy Wohrer scored five points apiece in overtime, lifting the Puget Sound Loggers over the Linfield Wildcats 76-71 in a wild contest between Northwest Conference playoff contending teams Friday night inside Memorial Fieldhouse.
 
The game featured nine ties and 14 lead changes, including four switches in the overtime session.
 
"It was a tough one tonight," said Linfield coach Shanan Rosenberg. "The guys played very hard and defended very well for most of the game.
 
"Unfortunately, Puget Sound made some very big and tough shots tonight and we just came up short."
 
What it means
Fourth-place Puget Sound (15-6, 8-5 NWC) inched closer to third-place Linfield in the NWC playoff chase, moving within one game of the Wildcats with three games left to play. The 'Cats are seeking one of the four NWC playoff berths for the second straight season.
 
Wildcat box score
A trio of Linfield players reached double figures in scoring. Dempsey Roggenbuck totaled 14 points, including a pair of three-pointers. Riley Bruil and Troy Arce both finished with 13 points. Bruil had four steals while Arce came away with three thefts.
 
The Wildcats shot 40.6 percent from the field and 36 percent from three-point range. Linfield owned a 35-24 edge in points in the paint.
 
Puget Sound points
Wohrer pumped in a game-high 22 points while Driessen added 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists to key the Loggers attack. Jeremiah Hobbs turned in a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds while adding four blocked shots and three steals. Stellan Roberts delivered 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
 
The Loggers edged the Wildcats in the rebounding column, 44-42, and forced 25 Linfield turnovers.
 
"We needed to do a better job taking care of the ball versus their pressure, but we still had opportunities," said Rosenberg.
 
How it played out
The Wildcats opened up a five-point lead 3½ minutes into the contest. Linfield eventually led by six, 27-21, on a dunk by Roggenbuck two minutes before intermission. But Puget Sound answered with six straight points to close the period, including a buzzer-beating basket by Wohrer that tied the game 27-all.
 
The second half featured more back-and-fourth play, though Linfield did eventually stretch its lead to seven points with just under eight minutes to go following a three-pointer from Bruil.
 
Wohrer tied the game at 56 with a three of his own at the 5:09 mark and the teams ended a wild second half knotted at 63.
 
In the overtime session, Linfield twice grabbed one-point advantages following successful free throws by Arce, but back-to-back buckets by Wohrer and Hobbs with just over a minute to play gave the hosts the lead for good.
 
Next
Linfield is back in McMinnville Saturday to square off against the Lewis & Clark Pioneers on Senior Day. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. following the women's contest.
 
"We look forward to playing at home to close out the week," said Rosenberg. "I was proud of how we competed (against Puget Sound), just a needed a little more O."