PORTLAND, Ore. – Linfield erased a 13-point deficit and took the lead with 10 minutes left in the game, but Lewis & Clark knocked down the game-winning shot with less than a second remaining to fend off the Wildcats, 70-67, Friday night at the Pioneers' Pamplin Sports Center.
Lewis & Clark's 13-point lead came at the beginning of the second half, with 19:28 left on the clock. The Wildcats outscored the Pioneers by eight points in the second half and tied the game at 67-apiece when
Alex Jaczko made a shot in the paint with 24 seconds remaining. But the 'Cats left too much time on the clock for the Pios, who kicked it out to Nikko Echalas for the game-winning three-pointer.
"It was a tough one tonight," head coach
Shanan Rosenberg said. "They hit a big shot near the buzzer. I was proud of our second half response, defense and rebounding in particular."
The Wildcats shot 44.6 percent from the field but made just 6 of 22 from three-point range. They dominated in the paint, putting up 44 points down below to Lewis & Clark's 28. The difference came at the charity stripe, where the 'Cats only took six attempts while the Pios drained 15 of 19.
Trey Bryant was a workhorse for Linfield, playing 37 minutes and totaling 20 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals. He connected on 10 of 19 from the field. Bryant leads the team with 14.6 points per game and has scored 20 or more points on three occasions. His career high came in a 29-point outburst against Caltech on Nov. 19 in Santa Cruz, California.
"Trey had a terrific all-around game and was key in our run," Rosenberg said. "We did a great job with our turnovers and we rebounded well. We just came up a few plays short."
JT Estes matched his career-best scoring output of nine points, going a perfect 4 for 4 from the field and tacking on two rebounds, an assist and a steal off the bench. Four Wildcats finished with six points.
"JT gave us great minutes off the bench and helped spark our run as well."
Three Pioneers dropped double digits. The trio was led by Jack Henderson, who scored 15 points and grabbed six rebounds. Brenden Patrick and Sebastian DePrez scored 14 points apiece. Patrick had five rebounds while DePrez went 7 for 11 from the field.
"We've got to put this behind us and be ready at home tomorrow."
NEXT
The 'Cats (5-8, 2-3 NWC) look to come away from the weekend with a split when they host Puget Sound on Saturday in their first of five straight home games. Tipoff with the Loggers is set for 6 p.m. at Ted Wilson Gymnasium.