MONMOUTH, Ore. – Linfield's combined for 12 made threes in an 80-71 loss against Western Oregon at the New PE Building on Tuesday night. The Wildcats had five scorers finish in double figures led by freshman
Cade Collins with 14.
Jake Downing (13) and
Chase Bennett (12) each made three shots from behind the arc.
Joshua Ryan finished with 12 points and seven assists while
Jackson Dupree chipped in 10 points and seven rebounds. The Wildcats finished 45 percent from the field on 60 shot attempts. Linfield finished with a 31-27 rebound advantage over Western Oregon.
Qiant Myers led Western Oregon with 19 points and 10 assists double-double while Cameron Benzel was right behind with 18. Kris Cook added 15 points for the Wolves (3-3). Western Oregon finished 57 percent from the field, including a near 61 percent clip in the second half. The Wolves turned 17 'Cats turnovers into 21 points.
Downing led Linfield in scoring with 10 points in a tightly contested first half. The Wildcats and Wolves had four lead changes and seven ties. The 'Cats combined for seven makes behind the arc but Western Oregon still held a slightly 34-33 advantage at halftime.
Linfield and Western Oregon continued to be close deep into the second half. The Wolves grabbed control in the final five minutes, outscoring the Wildcats 16-9 down the stretch to secure a tightly contested victory.
COMING UP
The Wildcats (1-3) return to action Sunday for their home opener against Walla Walla at 3 p.m.