McMINVILLE, Ore. – Linfield welcomed George Fox to Ted Wilson Gymnasium Saturday night in its second conference game of the season. The game featured a tight and physical matchup, with Linfield beating their cross-county rivals 79-71 to improve to 1-1 in Northwest Conference play this season.
The 'Cats were aggressive and physical out of the gate. George Fox ran a full court press for the majority of the first half and Linfield was able to break it time and again on their way to 17 first half field goals on 54.8% shooting.
Late in the first period, Dayton Magaña took matters into his own hands when he pulled down a rebound and ran the full length of the court to convert a pull up jumpshot before draining a three-pointer as the buzzer sounded to give Linfield a 44-33 halftime advantage.
The Bruins made key adjustments during the break and started the second half on a 16-2 run to retake the lead. Jake Bishop played a critical role in the run for George Fox, accounting for 10 of the 16 points.
Once the visitors went ahead, the Wildcats rediscovered their identity and kept the game competitive until
Cayden Lowenbach got a steal in the low post and directed the fast break down the court for an and-one layup, once again giving the Wildcats the lead.
From there the Wildcats would hold onto the lead and pull away in the final minutes, securing the crucial victory.
Magaña led all scorers with 27 points on the night, going 6-of-9 from behind the arc.
Cade Collins had a strong outing, netting 21 points to go along with six rebounds.
Percy Whittaker III led the 'Cats in rebounding, pulling down seven and
Max Juhala poured in another seven points.
Samuel Stewart IV led the Bruins' attack with 19 points while also recording seven rebounds and nine assists. Jake Bishop added 15 points and Nick Greenwood, brother of Linfield's
Jack Greenwood, tallied eight.
NEXT
Linfield hits the road for a matchup in Tacoma against Pacific Lutheran on Friday at 6 p.m.