LONGVIEW, Texas. --- Linfield women's basketball (2-0) kicked off the Thanksgiving Classic on Friday evening, holding off the Concordia-Texas Tornados, 73-65.
The Tornados took an early 5-0 lead, holding the Wildcat offense scoreless through the first 3:30 of the first quarter.
Eve Burke put the team on the board, sinking a three, thanks to a timely pass by
Tana Hoekema.
Trailing by as large as 7-3,
Amelia Solt and
Allie Mead teamed up for a 5-0 run, giving Linfield their first lead of the game nearly halfway through the opening quarter.
Jayden Ray and
Lauren Buchanan then extended the 'Cats lead to 14-9, but Concordia sank a pair of threes to end the first, giving them a 15-14 lead.
Both teams traded shots throughout the second, with
Miki Vermeulen and
Skylar Willey filling the stat sheet. The quarter saw three lead changes, with the final coming in a 7-0 run, capped off by a
Jordan Roberts bucket in the final 10-seconds. Linfield led 29-25 at the break.
The offense found their rhythm in the third, with Solt and Mead extending the Wildcat lead to as large at eight halfway through the third. Solt took over following a Tornado's three, scoring three layups, one of which an and-one, and a three to cap off her own 10-0 run that propelled a 13-0 run. The offensive spark provided Linfield with a 15-point cushion entering the fourth, 56-41.
Concordia crept back with an 8-0 run to open the quarter, quickly shut down by Solt who answered with back-to-back threes to maintain a double-digit lead. Hoekama then took over, helping negate any chance of a Tornado comeback down the stretch. The final minute turned into a battle at the free throw line with both teams in foul trouble, but it was too-little, too-late, as Linfield held on to win, 73-65.
Solt's second-half dominance marked a new career-high 22-points, adding three steals and two assists as well. Mead and Hoekama tallied 11-points each, with Hoekema earning a double-double, grabbing a team-high 11 boards. Linfield shot 38% from the field, and 40% from beyond the arc, but the Wildcats tied the mark for the fourth-most steals in program history with 14. The defense won the turnover battle, proving to be the difference in the road trip opener.
The Wildcats are back again tomorrow, set to face Piedmont at 2 p.m. central, looking to remain undefeated to begin the non-conference season.
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