McMINNVILLE, Ore.. --- Linfield men's basketball (6-9, 4-3 NWC) rallied back in the second half, knocking off cross-county rival George Fox (2-15, 1-7 NWC), behind Nalu Vargas' career night.
 
Linfield's offense started with a spurt as Garrett Callsen scored inside and Nalu Vargas buried a three that helped the Wildcats build an early 12-2 lead. The Bruins responded with a 10-0 run to capture an 18-15 lead, before Kohsuke Fujiwara knotted the game at 18-18.

As the first half progressed, Linfield and George Fox exchanged baskets in a seesaw battle. Nalu Vargas and Gavin Perdue carried the offense to stay level with the Bruins until a 5-0 run gave George Fox a 29-26 lead. The Vargas and Perdue takeover continued as the lead exchanged numerous times late in the first half. The Bruins capped off the half with a 5-0 run over the final 1:52 to lead 40-39 at the break.

Although the Wildcat offense got to work in the paint, the Bruins maintained a steady lead for the first eight-minutes of the seconds half. Perdue continued his career-night form the field, knocking down clutch baskets that helped the Wildcats to take a 64-57 lead with 7:09 remaining. 

George Fox then tied the game back up at 64-64. From there, the two offenses picked up the pace, although threes from Chase Bennett and Perdue gave Linfield a narrow lead heading into the closing minutes. The Wildcats withstood a free-throw game in the final minutes when both teams found themselves in foul trouble. Knocking down their shots from the charity stripe, Linfield held on to win, 83-80.

Vargas led the 'Cats with a career-high 20 points, adding seven offensive rebounds and six defensive rebounds for 13 total boards; earning his second career double-double. Perdue matched Vargas' point total with 20, also a career-high, fueled by his four made three-pointers. Magaña contributed 15 points, while Callsen chipped in 14 points and nine rebounds. 

"I really enjoyed watching our guys grow through the game in attacking their zone." Said head coach Elijah Gurash following the win. "They played unselfishly and found the open teammate; another gritty effort from this team."
 
Men's basketball looks to carry the momentum into tomorrow afternoon's game against the Lewis & Clark River Otters at 5 p.m. in Portland.
 
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