THE RECORDS
Having secured a program record-tying 19^th win on the season, Linfield (19-6, 10-6 NWC) travels to Walla Walla this weekend to compete in the Northwest Conference tournament, which they haven't participated in since 2019 where the Wildcats lost to the George Fox Bruins. The upset-minded Wildcats face the top seeded and fifth ranked nationally, Whitman Blues (24-1, 16-0 NWC) on Friday night. Whitman looks for redemption after getting outed in the first round a season ago and missing out on the NCAA tournament. With only one loss on their resumé, the Blues are a favorite to win the conference tournament and represent the NWC in the national tournament. The other side of the bracket features the second-seed George Fox (19-6, 11-5 NWC) facing third-seeded Puget Sound (11-14, 10-6 NWC) on Friday night with tipoff scheduled for 6 p.m.
 
THE WILDCATS
Linfield brings a barrage of balanced scoring along with suffocating defense that proves difficult to stop for any opposing team. Star senior Gillyan Landis leads offensive attack, putting up 11.5 points per game while Allie Mead, Eve Burke and Amelia Solt each crack double figures. Miki Vermeulen remains a constats for Linfield, doing a little bit of everything all over the court with 9.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists. Mead has become a revelation for the Wildcats, filling in at the start of the season for an injured Ella Koebelin and racking up a conference-leading 4.1 assists per contest. Linfield has its hands full taking on the conference juggernaut, but Casey Bunn-Wilson has her squad ready to compete and secure the first conference tournament win in program history.
 
THE COMPETITION
Whitman is bolstered by player-of-the-year candidate, Korin Baker who leads the conference in scoring (19.7), rebounding (8.8) and field goal percentage (66.1%). She is joined by Carly Martin who puts up 16.5 points on 33.5% shooting from behind the arc. The Blues' defense pesters opponents at 10.3 steals per game with Natalie Lundberg grabbing 2.7 steals individually. Whitman leads the conference in nearly every team stat, but where it excels is scoring margin, boasting a 21.1 margin of victory.
 
Puget Sound looks to repeat the magic of last year's tournament where the Loggers came in as the fourth seed and ran the table for their first NWC championship since 2008. Puget Sound prides itself on its stout defense that limits opposing offenses to 64.2 points and 37.5% field goal percentage. Emme Eisenman Carmen Cruz supports the scoring at 10.3 points in an offense that averages 62.8 points and converts 40.9% of its field goal attempts.
 
George Fox has an impressive defense that forces 15.7 turnovers and allows just 56.7 points. The Bruins also control the boards, recording a rebound margin of 4.7, ranking third in the NWC. Senior Alyssa Wells leads the way offensively with 12.6 points and 5.2 boards. Alexa Borter is a do-it-all player for George Fox, averaging 9.5 points and 7.3 rebounds while also hitting 52.5% of her field goal attempts. Hanne Hopkins dishes out 3.25 assists on top of her 10.3 points, directing the offense and setting her teammates up for easy buckets.
 
SEASON HISTORY
Linfield went 1-5 against the three opposing teams in the tournament this season with the win coming against George Fox in Newberg on the back half of the conference schedule. While unable to beat Whitman, the Wildcats gave the Blues fits in both games, even holding a lead entering the fourth quarter when playing in Walla Walla earlier this season. No matter who Linfield goes up against, it will compete and make its opponent work for a win.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Linfield's first round game against Whitman will have live audio on the Linfield Sports Network with Joe Stuart on the call. Coverage begins at 7:45 p.m. on Friday night.