McMINNVILLE, Ore. – The Linfield women's basketball team nearly erased a 14-point deficit but fell just short in a 66-61 loss to Pacific Lutheran Wednesday night at Ted Wilson Gymnasium.
Linfield got off to a 5-2 lead before Pacific Lutheran scored 11 straight points to go up 13-5. Freshman forward
Gillyan Landis made a shot from under the basket to end the Lutes' run. The Wildcats cut the deficit to six points to finish the first quarter down 20-14.
The Lutes extended their lead to 12 points with a 10-4 run to open the second quarter. A layup by freshman guard
Rowan Cusack got the Wildcats back within seven with 1:40 left to play in the first half. The period ended on a
Jordan Worthington bucket and a made free throw following a foul to make it 34-26 going into the break.
Pacific Lutheran scored six straight points to open the third quarter and then extended its lead to 14 at the 8:37 mark, marking the largest lead of the night. Linfield bounced back to score 20 of the period's next 31 points to climb within striking distance, heading into the fourth quarter down 51-46.
A pair of
Elyse Waldal jumpers and a layup by Landis pulled the 'Cats within two with just over four minutes remaining in the contest. The dynamic freshman duo then hit back-to-back shots late in the game to cut the deficit to one. But in the end, PLU knocked down four straight free throws to hold on for the five-point victory.
The 'Cats shot 35.4 percent from the field, highlighted by 58.3 percent shooting in the third quarter and 40 percent in the fourth. They outrebounded the Lutes 49-42.
Landis led the team with 15 points, connecting on 6 of 10 from the field, 1 of 2 from three-point range and 2 of 2 from the free throw line. She also grabbed six rebounds. Freshman guard
Emma Schmerbach recorded her first collegiate double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds to go with three assists and three blocks while Waldal flirted with a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds.
Maddie Plevyak dropped a game-high 18 points for the Lutes, going 5 for 11 from the field to go with a pair of threes. She also had three rebounds, an assist and a steal. Ava Edmonds scored 17 points and pulled down five rebounds while Josie Napoli finished with 14 points.
NEXT
The 'Cats (1-20, 1-12 NWC) will end the week at home, hosting Yamhill County rival George Fox at 6 p.m. on Friday. The updated Linfield indoor spectator policy can be found above.