SANTA CRUZ, Calif. –
Trey Bryant set a new career high in scoring and the Linfield Wildcats drained 12 shots from three-point range to topple Caltech 76-54 for their first win of the 2022-23 season Saturday afternoon at Kaiser Permanente Arena.
Bryant dropped 29 points and added five rebounds, six assists and a steal. He surpassed his previous career high of 23 points, scored in a home win against George Fox last season. The sophomore point guard from Springfield, Oregon, made 64.7 percent of his shots, connecting on 11 of 17 from the field, 5 of 9 from beyond the arc and 2 of 2 from the free throw line. Bryant's 11 made field goals and five three-pointers were also career bests.
Linfield shot 48.3 percent from the field, including 46.2 percent from deep. The Wildcats scored 32 points in the paint and 19 points off 15 turnovers while getting 34 points from the bench. The 'Cats took a 10-point lead into halftime and then came out of the break strong, outscoring Caltech 44-32 in the second half to complete a 22-point rout of the Beavers.
Nineteen different Linfield players entered the game. Freshman Logan Morrill provided a boost in 17 minutes off the bench. He went 5 for 6 from the field, scoring 10 points and adding seven rebounds and a block.
Carson Bonine knocked down a trio of shots from three-point range to contribute nine points while
Jacob Hjort scored six.
The Wildcats held the Beavers under 30 percent shooting. The Beavers took 28 shots from behind the three-point line but made just four. The Beavers only committed 10 personal fouls but failed to capitalize on the Wildcats' 25 fouls, making 16 of 37 from the charity stripe for a 43.2 percentage.
Caltech saw two players finish with double-doubles. Chase Pagon led the team with 15 points on 5 of 12 shooting and added 10 rebounds. Pavlos Stavrinides turned in the second double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds while leading the Beavers with three blocks.
NEXT
Linfield (1-2) looks to keep the momentum going with one more game before Northwest Conference play opens at home against George Fox on Dec. 2. The 'Cats will play at Portland Bible at 2 p.m. Sunday in their only game of the week.