MCMINNVILLE, ORE. – The Linfield men's basketball team opened Northwest Conference play with a win on Friday night, knocking off cross-county rival George Fox 85-74 in front of a raucous Ted Wilson Gymnasium crowd.
The victory marked the Wildcats' (3-2, 1-0) third straight of the season, and first of the year in front of their home crowd.
"What a great crowd and environment tonight," said head coach
Shanan Rosenberg following the win. "Wow, so many thanks to our student, parents, community members and other fans who came out to support us. It really lifts us up and makes a difference. When the gym is abuzz like that, things only get better."
The Bruins (1-6, 0-1) grabbed the first lead of the game and held on tight through the opening minutes, stretching the lead out to as much as seven.
But an 8-0 run fueled by a
Reece Gibb three-pointer and a converted "and-one" opportunity put Linfield in front for the first time 33-32 with 4:46 left to play in the opening half.
Although George Fox did manage to regain the lead, it was Linfield with 45-43 heading into the locker room thanks to a last-second three from Gibb off the assist by
Trey Bryant.
Gibb exploded for 20 points in the first half with five made three pointers, also contributing three rebounds and a block. He ended the night with 20 after foul trouble limited him in the second half, but even so still finished with the second-best scoring performance of his career.
Gibb's hot start helped Linfield withstand a barrage of 11 made threes from George Fox in the first half.
"
Reece Gibb kept us in it in the first half, great shooting night for him. He's really capable," said Rosenberg.
With all the momentum behind them to open the second half following Gibb's buzzer-beater, the Wildcats never relinquished the lead for the rest of the game.
They stretched the lead to double-digits for the first time with a made free throw from
Cayden Lowenbach with 5:53 to play and took their largest lead of the night at 83-68 on a bucket by Alex Jackzo with 2:49 left.
Linfield dominated in the paint and on the glass, outscoring the Bruins 50-12 inside and outrebounding them 40-25. 12 Wildcat offensive rebounds led to 14 second chance points, compared to five for George Fox.
"Our team rebounding was the best of the year by far. Great to see from our guys, they responded very well," said Rosenberg.
Three other Wildcats finished in double-figures alongside Gibb with
Carson Bonine and Bryant each contributing 11 and Jackzo scoring 10 off the bench.
Bryant also led Linfield in rebounds with eight and assists with seven, a new season high.
Lowenbach finished the night with nine points, seven rebounds and three assists, all career highs.
Jackson Dupree also added nine points with five rebounds and three assists.
Linfield moved the ball very effectively, dishing out 22 assists while turning the ball over just eight times.
They got a huge lift from their bench, which contributed 34 points to the win, compared to 14 for George Fox. Linfield also held the Bruins to just 37.5 percent shooting in the second half and just 2 for 9 from three after the hot start from outside for George Fox.
"I thought we got great, timely contributions from Jackson, Trey, Cayden, Alex,
JT Estes and
Anthony Flint," said Rosenberg. "Overall we played better defense second half, and they cooled down a bit."
On the night Linfield shot 55.6 percent from the field, 42.1 percent from three (8 for 19) and 63.6 percent on free throws (7 for 11).
They held the Bruins to just 40.7 percent from the field and 41.9 percent from three (13 for 31). George Fox also shot 81 percent from the line (17 for 21).
It was Linfield's 60
th win all-time against George Fox against 49 losses. The 'Cats have now taken the last six straight in the series and seven straight against the Bruins in McMinnville.
NEXT
The Wildcats will play their second game of the NWC schedule tomorrow against Pacific (4-3, 1-0) in Forest Grove, with tipoff scheduled for 6:00.
"There's a lot more work to be done this early, and a tough opponent waiting for us tomorrow night," said Rosenberg.
Linfield then resumes their non-conference schedule on Dec. 8 at Warner Pacific (4-2, 2-0) before returning home to host Walla Walla (0-5, 0-2) on Dec. 10.