McMINNVILLE, Ore. – Linfield welcomed Multnomah to open the season on Thursday night in Ted Wilson Gymnasium. The Wildcats held a five-point lead at halftime but eight threes in the second half from the Lions propelled Multnomah to a 86-77 victory.
Linfield shot 37.7 from the field and combined for a 17.2 three-point percentage.
Miki Vermeulen and
Gillyan Landis lead the Wildcats with 21 points each.
Allison Mead and
Amelia Solt combined for 18 points off the bench.
Behind Landis' 11 points, Linfield opened up a five-point advantage at the break. Landis hit 3 of 4 shots from the field. Mead contributed six points, five rebounds and three assists in 13 first-half minutes.
Linfield shot 46.2 percent during the opening two quarters compared to Multnomah's 35.5 percent. Mia Martineau paced the Lions with 10 first-half points.
Multnomah caught fire from behind the three-point arc in the third quarter, making four while Linfield made none. The Lions combined for 28 points on a 68.8 shooting percentage.
Four more three-pointers from the Lions in the fourth quarter brought their second-half total to eight and staved off a late Linfield push. Vermeulen scored 12 points in the second half.
Multnomah shot 45.2 from the field and combined for a 39.1 three-point percentage. Savannah Huerta (26) and Martineau (16) paced the scoring for the Lions.
COMING UP
Linfield (0-1) heads to Eugene on Saturday to face Bushnell in another non-conference contest. Game time is set for 5 p.m.