McMINNVILLE, Ore. –
Gillyan Landis' 21 points and six rebounds led Linfield in a 78-71 upset over Northwest Conference leader Willamette on Saturday evening. The Wildcats had a total of five scorers reach double figures and shot a season-high 61 percent from the field.
Miki Vermeulen tallied 12 points with
Eve Burke and
Amelia Solt finishing right behind with 11 points each.
Janessa Yniguez chipped in 10 points and added three steals on defense. Linfield shot 50 percent from behind the three-point arc.
Kaitlin Imai paced the Bearcats (13-8, 10-2 NWC) with 19 points. Ava Kitchin (13),
Elyse Waldal (12) and Megan River (10) also totaled double figures. Willamette shot 45 percent on 62 attempts and made 6-19 three-point attempts.
A late pair of free throws gave Willamette a 14-12 edge at the end of the first quarter. The Bearcats increased their advantage 36-31 at halftime. Both teams shot over 50 percent from the field in the second quarter. Imai led all scorers with 12 points while Landis was right behind with 10.
The Wildcats started the second half on a 12-0 run to their largest lead of the game 45-39. Linfield continued to roll in the third quarter increasing its lead to double figures by the end of the period 57-46.
A fourth-quarter surge brought Willamette back within three with under two minutes remaining. Two Solt three-pointers paired with free throws from Landis and Yniguez held off the Bearcats and the Wildcats came out on top.
COMING UP
The Wildcats (11-10, 6-6 NWC) return to game play when they travel to Whitworth on Friday. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.