SALEM, Ore. – Willamette took advantage of 21 Linfield turnovers to beat the Wildcats 66-49 at Cone Field House on Friday night.
Janessa Yniguez led Linfield with 12 points.
Miki Vermeulen was the next closest with 10 points, all coming from the free-throw line.
Amelia Solt added seven points off the bench.
Gillyan Landis grabbed a team-high six rebounds. Linfield shot 28 percent on 42 attempts and knocked down 3-12 shots from behind the arc.
Kaitlin Imai (14), Carolyn Ho (14) and Megan River (10) all finished in double figures for the Bearcats. Willamette shot 42 percent from the field on 52 shot attempts and made 3-13 threes. The Bearcats outscored the Linfield bench (25-14) and outpaced the Wildcats in points in the paint (30-12).
The Bearcats took advantage of eight first-quarter turnovers by the Wildcats and led 21-11 after the first stanza. Willamette built off its lead and led by as much as 17 before going into halftime up 36-24. The Bearcats shot 57 percent compared to 25 percent for Linfield. Vermeulen led Linfield with six points.
The Wildcats nearly matched the Bearcats point for point in the third quarter but were still down 49-35 going into the final period. Willamette continued to hold Linfield within arm's length, never letting the Wildcats get within single digits at any point in the second half.
COMING UP
The Wildcats (7-5, 2-1 NWC) return to game action on Saturday when they host Puget Sound at 4 p.m.