THE RECORDS
Linfield is just outside the NWC Championships field, entering the week in fifth place at 8-11 overall with a 5-5 NWC mark. Willamette rounds out the standings at 5-13 overall and 1-9 in NWC play. Pacific Lutheran (10-9, 4-6 NWC) sits in a three-way tie for sixth place.
 
LINFIELD AT A GLANCE
The Wildcats won three of their last four games and are riding a three-game win streak in league play. They defended their home court against Whitworth and Pacific and closed last week with a three-point road win against George Fox. The 'Cats rank No. 4 in the NWC in defense, allowing 70.8 points per game.
 
Trey Bryant picked up his second double-double of the season against the Bruins, scoring 21 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Bryant is sixth in the NWC with 14.5 points per game and seventh with 6.3 rebounds per game. His 4.9 assists and 2.3 steals per game both rank second. Carson Bonine matched his season high with 21 points of his own against George Fox, bringing his season average to 9.6 points per game.
 
WILLAMETTE AT A GLANCE
The Bearcats are looking to end a seven-game losing streak after falling to George Fox and Lewis & Clark last week. Jack Boydell has racked up 20.8 points per game to lead the team and rank second in the NWC behind Lewis & Clark's Brenden Patrick. He's shooting 51.2 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from three-point range, leading the league. Josiah Frank and Ryder Hsiung are scoring 13.1 points per game apiece.
 
PACIFIC LUTHERAN AT A GLANCE
The Lutes split in eastern Washington last week, beating Whitworth before falling to Whitman to close the road trip. They've won three of their last four games to stay in the playoff mix. Brandin Riedel leads the team with 13.9 points per game while Sean McCurdy (13.3 PPG) and Sam Noland (13.1 PPG) aren't far behind. Riedel leads the league with a 62.2 field goal percentage. Jordan Thomas is averaging 10.6 points per game and leads the NWC with eight rebounds per game. McCurdy is second to Thomas with 7.6 rebounds per game.
 
HISTORY
Linfield is 54-58 in the all-time series with Willamette, averaging 78.1 points per game. The Wildcats won 13 straight games between the 2015-16 and 2021-22 seasons. The Bearcats broke that streak in the first half of NWC play, winning 98-95 in overtime in McMinnville for their lone NWC win of the season.
 
Linfield and Pacific Lutheran have met 108 times, with the Wildcats taking 56 of those games. Just 16 of the Wildcats' wins came in Tacoma. The 'Cats have won 10 straight meetings with the Lutes, one of two teams that tied with them for last year's NWC regular season title. The 'Cats fended off the Lutes in the first round, pulling off a 61-60 win at Ted Wilson Gymnasium off a game-winning three-pointer by freshman TreyVaughn Bierlink with 2.6 seconds left in the game.