FOREST GROVE, Ore. – Linfield never led in the season's final game and fell to Pacific 87-78 at the Stoller Center on Saturday night. Chase Bennett led the Wildcats scoring effort with 17 points.
 
Jake Downing tallied 10 points while Lucca Hart, Nick Tripaldi and Joshua Ryan each added eight. Linfield shot 48 percent on 56 attempts and knocked down 11-28 shots from behind the arc.
 
Lucas Winkler led all scorers with 25 points. Devin Fortune (20) and Truman Young (13) also totaled double-digit points for the Boxers. Pacific (15-10, 9-7 NWC) shot 51 percent from the field on 60 attempts and made 13-29 threes. The Boxers make the Northwest Conference post-season tournament for the first time since become since joining the NCAA.
 
Pacific started the first half on a blistering shooting pace. The Boxers' 64 percent shooting propelled them to a 48-25 halftime lead over the Wildcats. Pacific's largest lead in the first half was 27. Fortune led all scorers with 13 points while Bennett led the 'Cats with six.
 
Linfield made eight straight shots from the floor to cut the Boxers' lead down to 13 near the 10-and-a-half-minute mark. The Wildcats continued to battle and sliced the lead down to eight at the 2:24 mark with another substantial scoring run. Linfield continued to battle but some late Pacific free throws
 
Linfield finishes the season with an 8-17 overall record and 3-13 in Northwest Conference play. Levi Sieg will bring in some new faces after presumably saying goodbye to six seniors from this squad.
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