PARKLAND, Wash. – A regular season championship is still in the cards for the Linfield men's basketball team as the Wildcats took down first-place Pacific Lutheran 72-64 to keep pace in the Northwest Conference standings Friday night at Olson Auditorium.
"What a great team win tonight," head coach
Shanan Rosenberg said. "Different guys stepped up and rose at different times to contribute in impactful ways."
The Wildcats handed the Lutes their first loss of the season on their home court, scoring 30 points in the paint and 26 points off the bench. They shot 41.8 percent from the field and 31.6 percent from three-point range. The 'Cats led for more than 39 minutes out of the 40-minute contest, their largest lead being 12 points at the 12:13 mark in the first half.
Pacific Lutheran fought back at the end of the first period to cut the Wildcats' lead to two points. The 'Cats hung on in the second half, outscoring the Lutes 40-34 to earn a sweep of the season series.
"I thought our defense was really on point all night. Our kids played their hearts out," Rosenberg said. "It showed in our rebounding and rotations in the second half."
Fifth-year senior guards
Dempsey Roggenbuck and
Max Lommen led all players with 18 points. Roggenbuck made 6 of 16 from the field and 6 of 8 from the free throw line and finished just short of a double-double with nine rebounds to go with four assists and two steals. Lommen went 7 for 13 from the field, finishing with six rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block. Senior forward
Aaron Baune scored 16 points, grabbed five rebounds and had two blocks while freshman point guard
Trey Bryant had a double-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and four steals.
"Trey with another double-double and Aaron, Dempsey and Max all gave us huge lifts at different times on offense," Rosenberg said. "
Carson Bonine's three after missing the previous four was massive. I'm so proud that he stayed confident and aggressive. As a team, we never let small droughts on offense impact our defense."
The Lutes connected on just 27.8 percent from three-point range after a 3 for 12 performance in the second half. They shot just 57.9 percent from the charity stripe. Jordan Thomas led the team offensively with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds to go with three assists and two blocks. He made 6 of 15 from the field and 4 of 9 from the free throw line. The 'Cats held Seth Hall, the NWC's leading scorer, to just 13 points. He also pulled down nine rebounds. Sean McCurdy and Brandin Riedel also scored 13 points.
"PLU is an excellent team," Rosenberg said. "They should have the Coach of the Year, and we were fortunate to play so well in a great environment."
NEXT
Linfield improved to 17-6 overall and 12-3 in NWC play with the win. The 'Cats are tied for second place with Whitworth (17-6, 12-3 NWC). The Lutes ended their regular season at 18-7 overall with a 13-3 NWC mark.
The 'Cats will end their regular season on Saturday, hosting in-state rival Willamette at 6 p.m. at Ted Wilson Gymnasium. Saturday's meeting with the Bearcats marks Senior Night for Linfield men's and women's basketball.
A win over Willamette would clinch the 'Cats a share of the NWC regular season championship for the second straight full season. If Whitworth can take care of business against Lewis & Clark, there will be a three-way tie for the title. At that point, seeding in the NWC tournament would be determined by tiebreakers.