McMINNVILLE, Ore. --- Linfield women's basketball (14-2, 9-0 NWC) went wire-to-wire, earning the season sweep of the Pacific Boxers (8-10, 4-6 NWC) with a 61-51 win behind a defense that forced 21 Boxer turnovers.
 
Skylar Willey got the scoring started for Linfield on the opening possession, sinking a layup in the paint to go up 2-0. The Linfield offense benefited from the lockdown defense on the other end of the court, going up 10-0, holding the Boxers scoreless for nearly four minutes. 
 
The Boxers clawed back with consecutive threes while holding the Wildcats scoreless over the final 2:56 of the first quarter; Linfield led 16-11 after one.
 
Pacific cut the Linfield lead to just three to open up the second quarter, but Allie Mead sank two free throws and Eve Burke ended the field goal drought with a three at 7:38, extending the lead back to eight. Neither team was able to score for three and a half minutes, later trading baskets in the paint with four minutes left in the half. 
 
Tana Hoekema and Mead traded buckets with the Boxers down the stretch as Pacific got within three. Mead made it 30-23 at the break with a clutch pull-up jumper with 13-seconds left. 
 
Linfield's defense came out of the break even better, forcing consecutive Boxer turnovers, one leading to an Amelia Solt three on the other end. Solt, Burke, and Willey combined for a 10-0 run into the first media timeout. Pacific's first bucket came out of the media timeout, but Solt answered with yet another three to make it 43-25.
 
Into the double bonus early in the third, Linfield took advantage of Pacific's foul trouble, going to the line three times in the first five minutes. The lead grew to as many as 20, but Pacific finished the quarter with back-to-back lay-ins to make it 51-36 Linfield with ten to play. 
 
An 8-0 run over three and a half minutes brought the Boxers back to a single-digit deficit, forcing Linfield head coach Casey Bunn-Wilson to call timeout. The timeout stopped the Boxers momentum, and provided the spark that Linfield needed on offense to regain a double-digit lead behind Mead's driving lay-ins.
 
The lead grew upwards of 12 thanks to a jumper from Willey with 2:13 remaining. The 'Cats allowed just one final basket by the Boxers for the remainder of the game, cruising to a 61-51 win. The win marks Linfield's 12^th-consecutive win, keeping pace with their record-breaking season and remaining the top squad in the Northwest Conference.
 
A group effort, Solt led all scorers with 14 points, with Mead and Willey close behind with 12 and 11. Each Mead, Willey and Burke had three steals in part of Linfield's 21 total turnovers forced, a large reason for the Linfield defense leading the charge for another win.
 
Women's hoops enjoys the weekend off, following eight games in four weeks. The 'Cats return to action on February 6, traveling to the Whit's to take on both Whitman and Whitworth.
 
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