COLLEGE PLACE, Wash. – It was a banner night for
Max Lommen as the fifth-year senior guard led the Linfield men's basketball team to a narrow 91-88 win over NAIA Walla Walla Monday night at Windemuth Court.
Lommen dropped a career-high 28 points to lead all scorers. He connected on 10 of 18 from the field, 4 of 11 from three-point range and 4 of 5 from the free throw line. He also finished with a game-high eight rebounds to go with three assists. Lommen has scored in double digits in seven of the Wildcats' eight games.
"Max and
Carson Bonine had massive games for us tonight, both scoring and on the glass," head coach
Shanan Rosenberg said. "They really made some huge plays down the stretch. I'm happy for them to make plays in big moments."
The Wildcats were down by 10 points going into halftime but outscored the Wolves 48-35 to complete the second-half comeback. As a team, the 'Cats made 50 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from beyond the arc and 81 percent from the charity stripe. They scored 38 points in the paint and 17 points off 13 Walla Walla turnovers.
Two other players scored in double figures for the 'Cats. A junior guard, Bonine scored 22 points on 7 of 15 shooting to go with three three-pointers. He also had four rebounds and four assists. Senior forward
Aaron Baune finished with 14 points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocks while junior forward
Alex Jaczko had eight points.
"I was very proud of our total team effort, especially in the second half," Rosenberg said. "Alex,
Mikey Hinkle and
Tomas Wolber all had great impact minutes for us, and our team did a great job rebounding in the second half."
The Wolves were on fire in the first half, making 60.71 percent of their shots, including 8 of 12 from deep. They extended their lead to as much as 14 points with just over a minute left in the first half. The 'Cats limited the Wolves to 45.16 percent from the field and 30 percent from long range in the second half in the come-from-behind victory. The 'Cats outrebounded the Wolves 22-13 in the second half.
Four players scored in double digits for the Wolves. Zayne Browning led the team with 19 points, connecting on 5 of 13 from the field, 2 of 4 from three-point range and a perfect 7 of 7 from the free throw line. He also had a team-high seven rebounds to go with three assists and a steal. Caleb Golden scored 18 points, Andrew Vaughan scored 17 and KiAndre Gaddy scored 13 to round out the top performers.
"Give Walla Walla credit," Rosenberg said. "They really had us on the ropes and played lights out in the first half. I'm glad we were able to keep it together and make timely plays to get a hard-earned road win."
NEXT
The 'Cats (6-2, 2-0 NWC) are right back at it on Tuesday, playing at Eastern Oregon at 6 p.m. in La Grande.