McMINNVILLE, Ore. – Cross county rivals Linfield and George Fox battled in Ted Wilson Gymnasium on Saturday night in the Wildcats' second conference game of the season. Linfield suffered its first defeat of the season, 66-56. The loss puts Linfield at 10-1.
The Wildcats opened strong, leading 19-13 at the end of the first quarter, but struggled in the following periods, with George Fox outscoring them in the second (13-11), third (18-12), and fourth quarters (22-14). Despite a valiant effort, the Wildcats couldn't overcome a late-game surge by the Bruins.
Leading Linfield in scoring was
Eve Burke, who netted 14 points and added two steals. Meanwhile,
Miki Vermeulen contributed six points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out two assists.
Other key performers for Linfield included
Gillyan Landis, who scored eight points and secured five rebounds, and
Allie Mead, who added six points and three rebounds. Despite the team's best efforts, 21 turnovers plagued the Wildcats all night as they were unable to overcome the miscues.
For the Bruins, Hanne Hopkins had a standout game, scoring 17 points and snatching three steals. Bella Arrisgado added 14 points, including several key baskets late in the game, to seal the win for George Fox.
The loss drops Linfield's record to 10-1, with a 1-1 mark in NWC play, while George Fox improves to 9-2 and 1-1 in the conference.
NEXT
The Wildcats open up a Tacoma road trip on Friday night when they take on Pacific Lutheran at 8 p.m.