THE RECORDS
Linfield enters the week with a 5-9 overall record and a 2-4 record in Northwest Conference play. Whitman and Whitworth are tied for first place with 5-1 NWC marks. The Blues are 12-3 overall while the Pirates are 10-5.

LINFIELD AT A GLANCE
The Wildcats rank fourth in the NWC in scoring defense, allowing 71.4 points per game. Most of the offensive fuel has relied on sophomore point guard Trey Bryant, who's fourth in the league with 15.1 points per game while also leading the team with 6.3 rebounds per game. Bryant's 5.5 assists per game are second in the NWC, and his 2.3 steals per game rank third. Carson Bonine is averaging just under double figures, scoring 9.9 points per game. Bryant, Bonine and Reece Gibb have combined for 86 three-pointers.
 
WHITMAN AT A GLANCE
The Blues were silenced by Whitworth at home to take their first loss in NWC play last week. They got back in the win column with a victory over George Fox. The Whitman defense leads the NWC with 65 points allowed per game. Xzavier Lino leads the team with 14.3 points per game on 49.7 percent shooting, including an NWC-leading 44.7 percent from three-point range. Jai Deshpande is scoring 13.6 points per game, primarily coming off the bench. He's shooting 61 percent from the field, leading the league.

WHITWORTH AT A GLANCE
The Pirates stormed Whitman's Sherwood Center with a 72-58 win over the Blues last week. JT McDermott led the Pirates in that game with 18 points, nine rebounds and four assists. McDermott ranks seventh in the NWC with 14.3 points per game. Jake Holtz is shooting 58 percent from the field, averaging 13.5 points per game. Jerry Twenge is putting up 10.6 points per game and is second in the league with 7.1 rebounds per game.

HISTORY
Linfield is 56-50 in the all-time series with Whitman. The mark includes a 36-18 record at home. The Blues won 19 straight meetings between the 2010-11 and 2019-20 seasons. The Wildcats are 2-3 in the series since then. The two teams split their regular season meetings in 2021-22, but the Blues got the last laugh when they beat the top-seeded 'Cats, 82-79, in the semifinals of the NWC Tournament at Ted Wilson Gymnasium.

Linfield has played Whitworth 97 times. Linfield is 34-63 against the Pirates, one of two teams the 'Cats shared last year's NWC regular-season title with. The 'Cats took two of the last three meetings. They split the 2021-22 season, with the Pirates winning 90-43 in Spokane and the 'Cats winning 71-65 in McMinnville.