After a strong showing during the first weekend of Northwest Conference play, the Linfield basketball teams head to Tacoma, Washington, to take on Pacific Lutheran Friday and Puget Sound on Saturday.
 
The Linfield women square off against Pacific Lutheran on Friday at 6 p.m. before heading across town to battle Puget Sound on Saturday at 4. The Wildcats men meet the Lutes on Friday night at 8 p.m. then tackle the Loggers on Saturday at 6.
 
COVERAGE
The Linfield Sports Network will be on location to provide audio-only coverage of all four games this weekend with Graeme Fineman and Joe Stuart on the call. The host teams will provide video broadcasts as well as live statistics of the four contests.
 
STARTING OFF THE RIGHT FOOT
The Linfield men went 2-0 in their first two NWC games, notching wins at Pacific and home against George Fox. Pacific entered Friday's game averaging 103 points per game (tops in the NWC and third nationally) before Linfield limited the Boxers 91 points. Saturday night against the Bruins, the Wildcats shot 44.4 percent from three-point range against a Bruins team that allowed just 28.7 percent of three-point percentage defensively (best in the NWC and top-30 nationally).
 
Known for its team-first mentality, Linfield averages 19 assists per game, which is best in the NWC and 11^th nationally. The Wildcats are also extremely dangerous from outside the three-point line, leading the conference in three-point percentage and ranking third in three-pointers made per game.
 
The Wildcats are led by Dempsey Roggenbuck, who scored 31 points against the Bruins and ranks sixth in scoring in the conference with an average of 17.2 per game. Senior Will Burghardt was 6 for 6 from the free-throw line this past weekend to improve his season percentage to 94.3, best in the NWC and second-highest in the nation.
 
Linfield shied away from the starting five it had used all-season, inserting sophomore Aaron Baune into the lineup on Friday night. Making his first career start, the forward from McMinnville provided the spark Coach Shanan Rosenberg was looking for with 17 points and six rebounds against the Boxers. He also started Saturday's game against the Bruins, scoring 13 points.
 
The Wildcats are one of three teams to start 2-0 in conference play, joining the Whitman Blues and the Whitworth Pirates also at 2-0.
 
LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR THE WOMEN
The Wildcats women were tasked with a tough challenge of starting NWC play against the top-two scoring defenses in the NWC. The Wildcats went 0-2 against Pacific and George Fox, but held leads into the second half of both games. In both matchups, Linfield scored more points than the opposing defenses averaged coming into the game.
 
Linfield averages 71.6 points per game, which is second-best in the conference. The Wildcats like to pass the ball around, averaging 15.2 assists per game, second-most in the NWC. The 'Cats do a good job of protecting the ball as well, averaging 15.3 turnovers per game, the third-lowest total in the conference.
 
Though the Wildcats get to the free-throw line just 17.9 times per game, which is third fewest in the NWC, they do convert 72.1 percent of their attempts, which is second-highest in the NWC behind Whitman. Efficiency is key for the Wildcats, who also own the second-highest field goal percentage on the season at 43 percent.
 
Defensively, Linfield holds opponents just 28.3 percent from the three-point line and 37.8 percent from the field.
 
The Wildcats are home to two of the top scorers in the Northwest Conference. Molly Danielson is tied for first in the conference with an average of 18.1 points per game, while Kory Oleson is right behind her in third place with an average of 17.8. Both seniors are also among the top rebounders, with Danielson averaging 11.6, which is second and Oleson averaging 6.2 which is sixth.
 
Oleson shoots 88.1 percent from the free-throw line, tops in the conference and averages 1.1 blocks per game, which is second.
 
Cassidy Schutz ranks among the top-10 in assists, averaging 3.3 per game. Freshman Paige LaFountain earned her first two career starts this past weekend, going 4 for 4 from the free-throw line.
 
LOOKING AT THE LUTES
The Pacific Lutheran men are off to a 0-2 start in conference play after losses to Whitworth and Whitman. Overall on the season, the Lutes are 4-7, including four non-conference common opponents with the Wildcats. The Lutes went 3-1 in those games, while the 'Cats won all four.
 
Points come at a premium against the Lutes, who allow the fewest points per game in the conference (66.1) and the lowest field-goal percentage on defense (39.8). The Wildcats have the second-best field-goal percentage in the conference and a top-20 nationally ranked scoring offense, so the key matchup of the game on Friday night will be when the Wildcats are on offense.
 
The Lutes are led by Leighton Kingma and Jordan Thomas, both of whom are shooting over 50 percent from the field. Kingma leads PLU in scoring, averaging 14.1 per game, while Thomas leads the way in rebounding, ranking second in the NWC with an average of 7.5.
 
Looking at the series history, the Wildcats have won five straight meetings over the Lutes, including a convincing 81-50 victory in Tacoma last season.
 
The Lutes women, like the Wildcats are one of three teams to begin conference play at 0-2. Pacific Lutheran fell to Whitworth and Whitman this past weekend. Overall in 2019-20, the Lutes are 5-6. They have two common opponents with the Wildcats in Warner Pacific and Northwest. Both the Lutes and the Wildcats went 2-0 in those games.
 
Pacific Lutheran forces the most turnovers in the conference with an average of 20.3, which is a key for the 'Cats, who commit just 15.3 turnovers per game, the third fewest in the NWC. The Lutes have plenty of second-chance opportunities, grabbing an NWC-leading 17.3 offensive rebounds per game. The Wildcats, in contrast, give up 15.7 offensive rebounds per game.
 
The top two scorers in the Northwest Conference face off on Friday night. Pacific Lutherans' Katie Taylor and Linfield's Molly Danielson share the NWC lead in scoring, both with an average of 18.1 per game. Taylor is joined by her teammate Madison Salisbury, who averages 8.3 rebounds per game to rank in the NWC. Guard Emma Janousek is second in the conference in assists with an average of 4.5 per game.
 
Under fifth-year coach Casey Bunn-Wilson, the Wildcats are 6-2 in eight matchups against the Lutes, including an 80-74 win in Tacoma last January.
 
OBSERVING THE LOGGERS
Like the Lutes, the Loggers dropped two contests against the two Eastern Washington teams this past weekend. Puget Sound stands at 6-5 overall this season. It has four common opponents with Linfield with both teams going 3-1 in those games.
 
The Loggers could be called a jack of all trades and master of none as they are middle-of-pack in most statistical categories among NWC teams. They do allow the third-fewest points in the conference with a scoring defense of 75.1 while scoring 76.8 per game, which is seventh in the NWC.
 
A key for the Wildcats on Saturday night will be shots beyond the three-point line as they have the best three-point field goal percentage in the conference (39.4), while the Loggers have the third-lowest three-point percentage on defense (32.2).
 
Forward Stellan Roberts will be the player to watch for the Loggers. Roberts ranks second in the NWC in scoring with an average of 20.8 and fifth in rebounding with an average of 6.9. He has already been named NWC Student-Athlete of the Week once this season.
 
In the previous 10 matchups, Puget Sound holds a 7-3 edge, but the two teams have split the two meetings each of the last three seasons, including both teams defending home court a year ago.
 
The Puget Sound women went 1-1 in games against the Whitman Blues and Whitworth Pirates this past weekend. The Loggers are 7-4 on the season and are receiving votes in the latest D3hoops.com poll. The one common opponent between the Wildcats and the Loggers is the Evergreen State Geoducks, a team which both the Wildcats and the Loggers defeated.
 
Puget Sound is the top rebounding team in the conference with an average of 46.5. A key for the Wildcats on Saturday will be offensive efficiency. The Loggers have the lowest defensive field goal percentage in the NWC (33.9), while the Wildcats shoot 43 percent from the field, which is second in the NWC.
 
The only two players in the NWC who are averaging double-digit rebounds per game will be on display on Saturday. Puget Sound's Jamie Lange leads the NWC with an average of 13.1, while Linfield's Molly Danielson is right behind her with an average of 11.6. Cassidy Daugherty is the leading scorer for the Loggers with an average of 13.1. Mara Henderson is fourth in the NWC in assists per game, with an average of 3.9.
 
This game is the first meeting for the two teams since the double-overtime affair in McMinnville last season. The Wildcats, playing with just eight players, prevailed 91-84 over the Loggers. In eight matchups under coach Bunn-Wilson, Linfield 2-6 against Puget Sound.