McMINNVILLE, Ore. – Linfield and Pacific Lutheran battled in a physical Northwest Conference opening game on Friday night at Ted Wilson Gymnasium.
Jackson Dupree's near double-double wasn't enough as the Wildcats fell to the visiting Lutes 65-55.
Cade Collins led Linfield with 14 points while
Chase Bennett finished right behind with 13. Dupree tallied 10 points and nine rebounds.
Jake Downing grabbed eight rebounds and added seven points. The Wildcats shot 46 percent on 58 shot attempts and finished 5-20 from behind the arc.
Miles Nash led all scorers with 21 points. Sam Noland was the only other Pacific Lutheran player to finish in double figures totaling 12 points. The Lutes combined for 48 percent from the field and 7-13 from three.
Linfield struggled to find an offensive rhythm in the first half. The Wildcats shot 31 percent from the field and went 1-12 from behind the three-point arc. Collins led Linfield with five points while Nash led the Lutes to a 32-21 lead after the first 20 minutes.
The Wildcats trimmed the Lutes down to single digits off a 5-0 scoring run in the first three minutes of the second half. Linfield grabbed the lead for a moment near the 13-minute mark but Pacific Lutheran quickly pulled back in front. The Lutes (5-1, 1-0 NWC) outscored the Wildcats 29-24 in the final 10 minutes to close out the win.
COMING UP
The 'Cats (2-4, 0-1 NWC) return to action on Saturday when they travel to face Lewis & Clark at 6 p.m.