THE RECORDS
After winning three of its past four games, Linfield (17-4, 8-4 NWC) is tied for second place in the Northwest Conference standings with George Fox. The Wildcats control their own destiny with just four games remaining as the conference table starts to solidify and the conference tournament begins to take shape. They need two wins this weekend against Willamette (8-13, 5-7 NWC) and Lewis & Clark (4-17, 1-11 NWC). Linfield came out on top at home against both teams earlier this season and looks to repeat that success on the road.
LINFIELD AT A GLANCE
At 17 wins, the Wildcats have tied their most wins in a season since the 1999-2000 season. With two wins this weekend, Linfield would tie its most wins in program history at 19, achieved in the 1979-80 season.
Casey Bunn-Wilson has her group playing team basketball this season with all five starters reaching double figure point averages. Senior
Gillyan Landis leads the way with 12.2 points,
Allie Mead and
Miki Vermeulen come in at 10.3 while
Eve Burke and
Amelia Solt registers 10.2 and 10.1 points respectively. Vermeulen and Burke also lead the team's rebounding efforts at 6.7 per game and
Tana Hoekema has come on strong in her freshman campaign, averaging 5.3 points and 3.1 rebounds.
WILLAMETTE AT A GLANCE
The Bearcats are on the outside looking in as it pertains to the conference tournament but have a chance to change that this weekend with games against Linfield and Pacific Lutheran. Willamette ranks first in the NWC in made three-pointers at 7.4 per contest and its offense puts up 61.5 points. Kaitlin Imai is one of three Bearcats scoring in double figures with 14.1 points while Elyse Waldal adds 12.1 and Gio Horner pours in 10.1. Center Daisy Boling-Schmidt pulls down 5.3 rebounds and Peyton Gardner dishes out 3.1 assists. Willamette is coming off a win against Whitworth and aims to keep it rolling Friday night against Linfield in Cone Field House.
LEWIS & CLARK AT A GLANCE
The Pioneers have shown improvement, having already matched their win total from a season ago. Their offense puts up 58 points a game and their defense allows 66.8. Lauryn Frederickson has been dominant for Lewis & Clark with 14.6 points, 8.8 rebounds and 16 total blocks. Madilyn Palosi notches 11.5 points to go along with 47 made three-pointers. Freshman Kaitlen Carns has shown promise in her rookie season, reaching double figures in scoring eight times this year.
SERIES HISTORY
Linfield narrowly leads Willamette 43-40 in the all-time series thanks to wins in the previous two matchups. The Wildcats trail 26-13 when on the road with the last win in Salem coming during the 2018-19 season.
Against Lewis & Clark, Linfield leads the all-time series 46-36 and has won five straight against the Pioneers.
