McMINNVILLE, Ore. - Despite leading by as much as 16 in the first half, the Linfield women's basketball team dropped its home opener Saturday night, 74-63, to Lewis & Clark.
The loss moves the Wildcats to 0-9 on the young season and 0-2 in Northwest Conference play. The Pioneers improved to 5-4 and 2-0 against conference opponents.
Linfield came out firing on all cylinders in the opening quarter, hitting 9 of 13 shots and 6 of 9 three-pointers to crack open a 26-15 lead through the first 10 minutes of action. Junior
Ti'Anna Bruce was the catalyst on offense early on, scoring seven first-quarter points while the 'Cats as a whole assisted on eight of their nine made field goals in the period.
The Pios battled back in the second quarter, trimming the lead to as few as six points. However, the 'Cats stayed strong, taking a 37-28 lead into halftime.
Lewis & Clark got back into the game thanks to 17 first-half points from freshman Eva Richards. Richards would finish the night as the game's leading scorer with 25 points and five made three-pointers.
The Pioneers took control in the third quarter, outscoring Linfield 21-8 in the quarter and executing a 13-3 run over the final 5:54 to take a 49-45 lead into the fourth. Lewis & Clark turned the 'Cats over seven times in the third, resulting in eight points. Turnovers would haunt Linfield all night, coughing up the ball 28 times, 13 off Pioneer steals, resulting in 29 points off turnovers for the game.
The Pios maintained control in the fourth, hitting five three-pointers in the quarter to help extend their lead and secure the win.
Linfield was led on the night by freshman guard
Emma Schmerbach, who scored 11 points on 4 of 6 shooting. Sophomore forward
Alexis Heald led the team in rebounding with six and also contributed eight points while freshman
Elyse Waldal led the team in assists with six to go with nine points. Sophomore
Janessa Yniguez also added nine points to go with three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
As a whole, Linfield shot 54.8 percent from the field while going 7 for 20 from three and 10 for 19 from the free throw line. Lewis & Clark shot 45.3 percent from the field, hitting 9 of 19 three-pointers and 17 of 23 free throw attempts.
Linfield edged out Lewis & Clark on the glass, 23-20. The 'Cats assisted on 16 of their 23 made shots for the game.
NEXT
The Wildcats will move on to a meeting with NAIA Northwest University in Kirkland, Washington, on Friday. They'll then take a much-deserved extended break over the holidays before resuming play in Eastern Washington against Whitman and Whitworth on Jan. 7 and 8, respectively. The 'Cats return home on Jan. 11 to host the Pacific Boxers at Ted Wilson Gymnasium.