TACOMA, Wash. – The dynamic duo of Dempsey Roggenbuck and Will Burghardt could not be stopped as the Linfield Wildcats won for the first time at Memorial Gymnasium since 2013, defeating the Puget Sound Loggers 86-76 on Saturday night.

"Tonight was an unbelievable heart-and-soul team effort in the second half," said Wildcats coach Shanan Rosenberg. "Our guys love each other and rallied around one another and would not be denied. It was awesome to see."

At the midway point of the first half, Puget Sound held a narrow lead, 13-11, in a slow shooting start for both teams. The Loggers extended their lead and never trailed after the 12-minute mark of the half, eventually taking a 36-29 lead into the break.
 
Roggenbuck and Burghardt led the Wildcats in first-half scoring with seven points each. Roggenbuck shot a perfect 3 for 3 from the field while Tanner Autencio contributed six points, four rebounds and three assists during the opening half.
 
Jourdan Joseph had the hot hand for Puget Sound in the first, knocking down three of his four three-point attempts en route to 11 first-half points. Northwest Conference top-five scorer Stellan Roberts and teammate CJ Geathers each contributed eight points.
 
To open the second half, Burghardt got hot. He scored a layup and converted a three-point play before following it u with a tough, contested layup. Autencio  hit a three to trim the Logger lead to one and Austin Hilton made another layup, part of an 14-3 run that gave Linfield the lead.
 
Linfield held that lead until the 10-minute mark of the final half, before Joseph made his fourth three-pointer to give Puget Sound a 56-55 advantage. But the 'Cats responded in a big way. The Wildcats launched a 13-5 run down the stretch and take a nine-point lead, courtesy of an Autencio three with three minutes left. The Loggers never got within eight points after that.

"Our focus and resolve down the stretch tells a huge story about the character and will of our team," Rosenberg said. "It was a huge step for us."
 
Roggenbuck finished with 25 points on a 9-for-10 shooting night. Burghardt poured in 17 more with five rebounds and three assists. Autencio fell just short of a triple-double in an injury shortened game, ending with 12 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. He returned for the final three minutes of the game.
 
"Tanner has been a tremendous leader and player for us, and I think his injury sparked our hearts and minds and the rest was the players," praised Rosenberg.

Roberts finished with 20 points for the Loggers on 6 of 12 shooting. Joseph finished with only one three-point basket in the second half and 14 total as the second leading scorer.

Linfield moved to 10-3 overall and 4-0 in conference action. With the loss, Puget Sound slipped to 7-6 overall, 4-3 in NWC play.
 
NEXT
Linfield returns home for a back-to-back set against Lewis & Clark Friday at 8 p.m. and Willamette Saturday at 6 p.m. The matchup against Willamette is Young Cats Club night for the men's team.