SPOKANE, Wash. – Three Linfield players finished in double figures in a hard-fought 73-66 loss to Whitworth at the Whitworth Fieldhouse on Friday night.
Joshua Ryan tied a season-high with 18 points on 9-14 shooting to lead all scorers and totaled a game-high three steals.
Nick Tripaldi scored 14 points in 15 minutes while
Garrett Callsen tallied 13. Linfield (7-15, 2-11 NWC) shot 50 percent on 57 attempts and knocked down 4-15 shots from behind the arc.
Jojo Anderson paced the Pirates (15-7, 11-2 NWC) with 16 points. Garrett Long added 14 points while Jerry Twenge and Jake Holtz each scored 10. Whitworth shot 49 percent on 51 attempts and converted 8-23 shots from three.
Anderson's 12 points in the first half charged the Pirates to a 34-28 halftime lead with their biggest lead being seven points. Both sides shot over 40 percent with Callsen leading the Wildcats with eight points at the break.
Just like the first half, the 'Cats continued to hang tough with the Pirates in the second 20 minutes. Linfield limited Anderson to four points in the second half and out shot Whitworth 58 percent compared to 52. The Pirates' first double-digit lead came with just over a minute remaining. Whitworth salted away the game at the free throw line in the final seconds to extend their home winning streak over the Wildcats dating back to 2001.
COMING UP
Linfield returns to conference action against Whitman at the Sherwood Athletic Center with tip-off scheduled for 6 p.m.