McMINNVILLE, Ore. –
Garrett Callsen tallied a new career-high 16 points but visiting Whitman outlasted Linfield in the closing minutes to top the Wildcats 64-58 in Ted Wilson Gymnasium on Friday night.
Joshua Ryan tallied a season-high 16 points.
Jackson Dupree nearly totaled a double-double with nine points and 15 rebounds. Linfield shot 41 percent on 56 attempts and knocked down 5-16 shots from behind the arc.
Jai Deshpande led all scorers with 22 points with teammates Grant Hunt (14) and Isaiah Amato (12) also finishing in double figures. The Blues shot 46 percent on 49 attempts and made 7-22 three-pointers. Whitman (9-5, 3-2 NWC) turned 11 Linfield turnovers into 16 points.
The Blues started the opening minutes on a 12-0 scoring run. The Wildcats battled back to close the first 20 minutes with a 32-30 halftime lead. Ryan led the Wildcats with 10 points at the break while Deshpande matched also with 10.
The lead changed hands on multiple occasions in the first few minutes of the second half. The 'Cats were down one with under eight minutes to go following a Ryam made three. From there, the Blues outscored the Wildcats 12-7 to pull away late for the win.
COMING UP
The Wildcats (5-9, 0-5 NWC) return to game action on Saturday against Whitworth with tip-off scheduled for 6 p.m.