Coming off a strong weekend that saw them record matching road sweeps in Tacoma, the Linfield Wildcats return home for a pair of doubleheaders Friday and Saturday against two Northwest Conference foes.
 
The Linfield women welcome Lewis & Clark to Ted Wilson Gym Friday night at 6 p.m. before hosting Willamette Saturday at 4. The men host the Pioneers on Friday at 8 then battle the Bearcats Saturday at 6.
 
MARCHANT BALLET
During halftime of both games on Friday night, Yamhill County's own Marchant Ballet will present a special performance. Youngsters ages 5-17 from around the county will perform a contemporary ballet show on the hardwood.
 
YOUNG CATS CLUB
Saturday's men's basketball game between the Bearcats and the Wildcats is a designated Young Cats Club night at Linfield. All boys and girls under the age of 17 receive free T-shirts, can participate in a skills game, and have the opportunity to meet current men's team members following the contest.
 
COVERAGE
Graeme Fineman and Joe Stuart will be on the call for the Linfield Sports Network, providing video webcasts for all four games.
 
HOT START CONTINUES FOR THE MEN
Following a 68-54 win at Pacific Lutheran on Friday night and an 86-76 win at Puget Sound on Saturday night, the Wildcats are off to a perfect 4-0 to start in NWC play. Of note, Linfield defeated Puget Sound on the road for the first time since 2013.
 
The Wildcats have proven to be efficient from the field, shooting 49.1 percent on the season, right behind conference-leading Whitworth, which is shooting 50.2 percent.
 
Linfield's half-court offense does exceptionally well in all fundamentals of basketball, moving the ball around and taking high accuracy shots. The Wildcats lead the conference in assists per game with an average of 19.1 and are tied for the lead in three-point field goal percentage 39.4 with the Pirates, who have 43 fewer attempts.
 
The Linfield offense runs through Dempsey Roggenbuck, who is fifth in the NWC in scoring with an average of 17.1 per game. Roggenbuck is aided by Grant Gibb, who is shooting 47.1 percent from beyond the arc, which is fourth in the conference, and the backcount tandem of Tanner Autencio and Will Burghardt. Autencio leads the NWC in assists with an average of 4.1 per game, while Burghardt is second with an average of 3.8. He shoots 89.1 percent from the free-throw line to rank second in the conference.
 
Austin Hilton and Aaron Baune alternate in the role of starting center in the Wildcats' lineup. Hilton is eighth in the NWC in rebounding with an average of 5.8 per game. Baune averages 11.7 points per game and 4.3 rebounds per game in the games he has started.
 
The Wildcats, the Pirates and the Whitman Blues are all a perfect 4-0 to start conference play. After completing a two-set homestand this weekend, the Wildcats travel to eastern Washington to take on the Pirates and the Blues.
 
This is the second consecutive season Linfield has started 4-0 in conference play under seventh-year coach Shanan Rosenberg. Overall in 2019-20, the Wildcats have a record of 10-3.
 
HISTORIC WEEKEND FOR THE WOMEN
The women traveled to Tacoma last weekend looking for their first conference win of the season. They departed with two wins while reaching .500 mark in conference play for the first time this season. Linfield defeated PLU 76-66 on Friday night and rallied from behind to knock off Puget Sound 66-57 on Saturday night for the program's first win at Memorial Fieldhouse since 2011.
 
The Wildcats rank second in the NWC in scoring with an average of 71.5 per game. Like the men, the women are also proficient in sharing the ball and taking good shots. The 'Cats share the NWC lead in field goal percentage, hitting 43.6 percent of their shots, and are second in assists with an average of 15.1 per game. Defensively, the Wildcats allow their opponents to shoot just 26.9 percent from beyond the three-point line, the second-lowest mark in the conference.
 
The NWC's top two scorers reside at Ted Wilson Gym in Molly Danielson and Kory Oleson. Danielson sits just ahead of fellow senior Oleson on the NWC points ladder, averaging 17.7 and 17.6 points per game, respectively.
 
Danielson, honored as NWC Student-Athlete of the Week for her performances in Tacoma, sits second in the NWC in rebounding at 12.5 boards per game. She grabbed 34 rebounds this past weekend to increase her career total to 700. That figure surpassed JoAnn Price's 33-year-old school record of 696.
 
Though Linfield features one of the best 1-2 punches in the nation in the frontcourt, they have plenty of players who are capable of lifting the 'Cats to victory. In Saturday's win, Cassidy Schutz scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to spark the comeback for the 'Cats, who trailed the Loggers by six going into the final period. Schutz has come off the bench the last four games, but still ranks eighth in the NWC in assists at 3.2 per game. Freshman guard Delaney Ragan is an emerging star for the 'Cats, netting 25 points and six rebounds off the bench in the two games at Tacoma.
 
The bookend wins vaulted Linfield into a tie for fourth place in the NWC standings with George Fox and Whitworth. Under fifth-year coach Casey Bunn-Wilson, the Wildcats have an overall record of 8-5 this season.
 
EXPLORING THE PIONEERS
Sitting at 5-8 overall and 1-3 in NWC play, the Lewis & Clark men's lone conference win came against Willamette last month. Under second-year coach Tim McCrory, the Pioneers are among the NWC's top shooting teams at 45 percent this season, which is fourth in the nine-team circuit. The Pioneers are first in the NWC in blocked shots, averaging 4.9 rejections per game.
 
The Pioneers' leading scorer is Zeke Crawford, who averages 13.2 per game and shoots 52.9 percent from the field. Containing Crawford is going to be one of the keys for the Wildcats as he leads the NWC in rebounding, with an average of 8.9 caroms per game. Matt Brown is another player to watch in the Lewis & Clark lineup. Brown leads the team in assists, averaging 3.0, and is third on the team in scoring, with an average of 11.1 per game. Brian Smith is also a consistent scorer, averaging 11.2 points per game.
 
A key for the Wildcats on Friday night will be taking quality shots at the offensive end of the floor. The Pioneers allow a defensive field goal percentage of 45.8 percent, while the 'Cats shoot 49.1 percent. Another key for Linfield is to avoid Crawford and the L&C defense from blocking shots. Crawford averages 2.2 blocks per game, which is more than the Wildcats, who allow opposing defenses just 1.8 blocks per game.
 
Over the past six seasons under Coach Shanan Rosenberg, Linfield is 5-7 against Lewis & Clark, though the Wildcats have prevailed in five of the last six meetings.
 
The Lewis & Clark women have had a tough start to the season, starting 1-11 overall and 0-4 in conference play. Their lone win came against Northwest, a team that Linfield defeated 63-61 earlier this season.
 
Under second-year coach Kristina Williams, the Pioneers average 53.3 points, 35.2 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game. A key for the Wildcats will be to disrupt the L&C offense, which surrenders 21.5 turnovers per game. The Wildcats come into the weekend forcing 13.4 turnovers per game.
 
Delsie Johnson leads the way for the Pios, nearly averaging a double-double with 15.7 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. Johnson shoots 51.3 percent from the field, fourth-best in the NWC. Another Pioneers player to watch is Hannah Martin, who averages 10.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest.
 
In eight head-to-head meetings with Lewis & Clark under coach Casey Bunn-Wilson, Linfield is 2-6. The two teams split last season's two matchups, with each team successfully defending its home court.
 
BATTLE OF THE CATS
The Willamette men are 1-12 this season and 0-4 to start conference play. Their lone win this winter came against La Verne. The Bearcats were 9-16 a year ago.
 
Under the leadership of 11th-year coach Kip Ioane, Willamette averages 70.3 points, 36.6 rebounds and 12.0 assists per game. The Bearcats are known to be dangerous from beyond-the-arc, shooting 33 percent.
 
Daniel Plumer and Ben Sutton are the primary point producers for the Bearcats, averaging 15.2 and 12.3 points per game, respectively. Sutton is a force defensively, averaging seven rebounds, which is third in the conference. Rebounding is one of the keys for the Wildcats, who average 36.2 caroms per game, slightly less than the Bearcats' average of 36.6 per game.
 
The Wildcats have won the last seven meetings between the two rivals. The Bearcats' last win came on January 9, 2016.
 
The Willamette women are 9-4 on the season and 3-1 in the conference. Comparing two common opponents George Fox and Walla Walla, Willamette is 2-0 in those games while Linfield is 1-1.
 
Willamette is among the premier three-point shooting teams in the NWC, shooting 36.1 percent on the season, just behind NWC-leading George Fox's 36.8 percent. Sami Riggs is one of the main contributors to that high three-point percentage. She is shooting 51.6 percent on the season, tops in the NWC.
 
Defending shots from beyond the three-point line could be a key element for the Wildcats. The Bearcats shoot 36.2 percent while the Wildcats are allowing opposing offenses to shoot 26.9 percent.
 
The leading scorer for the Bearcats is Kassin Hopkins, who averages 11.5 points per outing. Riggs trails her with an average of 11.2. Confining point guard Drew Farmer from distributing the ball will be another key factor for the Wildcats. She averages 4.7 assists per game to lead the NWC in that statistical category.
 
The two local rival teams are 5-5 in their last 10 matchups. Each team won on the other's home floor last season.