NEWBERG, Ore. – Linfield drove to Newberg hoping to come away with a season sweep of George Fox, but the Wildcats fell short in a 54-47 loss to the Bruins Saturday night at Miller Gymnasium.
George Fox took a 16-10 lead after the first quarter, but Linfield cut that six-point deficit to one point going into halftime. The Wildcats limited the Bruins to five points in the second quarter. The Bruins made just one shot in the period to let the 'Cats back in the game.
The Wildcats outscored the Bruins 15-12 in the third quarter to go up 35-33, but the Bruins finished strong, shooting 42.9 percent down the stretch on their way to scoring 21 points in the fourth quarter.
Sophomore
Elyse Waldal led the Linfield charge on offense, scoring a season-high nine points off the bench off 4 of 7 from the field to go with three rebounds, two assists and a steal. Fellow sophomore
Gillyan Landis went 3 for 5 from the field, dropping eight points and grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds. It was her seventh game this season with 10 or more rebounds and first since Dec. 28's win at Northwest. Freshmen
Ella Koebelin and
Eve Burke scored seven points apiece.
Linfield held George Fox to 30.2 percent shooting, including 19 percent from three-point range. But the Bruins managed to turn 22 turnovers into 18 points to avoid being swept by the 'Cats for the first time since the 2006-07 season.
Erin Yoshitake's 15 points were the bright spot for the home team, although she connected on just 4 of 12 from the field. Ella Roberts tacked on eight points, five rebounds and three blocks while Jenna Lacey had seven points. Roberts drained two of the Bruins' four three-pointers.
NEXT
The 'Cats (8-11, 4-6 NWC) look to snap a five-game skid when they make the quick turnaround to take on Willamette at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Salem.