MCMINNVILLE, Ore. – Gavin Perdue knocked down a career-high five three-pointers and scored a team-high 17 points as the Linfield men's basketball team (1-0) opened its 2026-27 season with a 74-67 victory over Corban (0-2) on Tuesday evening at Ted Wilson Gymnasium.Â
Perdue finished 5-of-10 from beyond the arc while adding six rebounds. Max Juhala, Kohsuke Fujiwara and Nalu Vargas also reached double figures, giving Linfield four players with at least 13 points. Juhala and Fujiwara each contributed 14 points, with Fujiwara shooting 5-of-6 from the field. Vargas recorded a double-double with 13 points and a game-high 12 rebounds while adding five assists and two blocks. Garrett Callsen rounded out the starting lineup with 10 points, four rebounds and four assists.
Linfield opened the contest with consecutive baskets from Fujiwara and Callsen to establish an early 4-0 lead. After Corban briefly took a 7-6 lead, Vargas and Juhala connected on back-to-back three-pointers to put the Wildcats back in front. Linfield continued to build momentum midway through the first half, using a 12-1 scoring run highlighted by baskets from Dash Nicely, Vargas and Peyton Reyes to extend the lead to 18-10.
Perdue caught fire from beyond the arc late in the opening half, knocking down consecutive three-pointers to help Linfield establish a 24-11 lead. The 'Cats extended their advantage to 14 points following a layup from Callsen with just over two minutes remaining. Corban responded with a pair of baskets and free throws down the stretch, but Linfield entered halftime holding a 28-18 advantage.
The Warriors came out aggressively in the second half, scoring five quick points to cut the deficit in half. Linfield answered with three consecutive three-pointers from Perdue, Fujiwara and Vargas, extending its lead to 37-23 with 17:30 remaining. However, Corban mounted a comeback, using a 16-4 run to pull within two points at 41-39 midway through the period.
Linfield maintained its narrow advantage behind timely baskets from Fujiwara, Nicely and Juhala, but the Warriors eventually evened the score at 49-49 with 9:37 remaining. After the teams traded baskets and free throws, Corban tied the contest again at 51-51 before Juhala buried a three-pointer to put the Wildcats ahead for good with 8:05 left to play.
Perdue delivered another crucial three-pointer with 6:37 remaining to extend Linfield's advantage to 57-53. After Corban trimmed the deficit to a single point, Perdue responded with two free throws from a Corban flagrant and another three-pointer, pushing the Wildcats ahead 64-58 with under five minutes remaining.
Fujiwara converted two layups late before Vargas connected on a three-pointer with 1:33 remaining to give Linfield a 71-63 lead. Fujiwara and Juhala combined to make three free throws in the final 23 seconds to seal the seven-point victory.
Linfield shot 49.1% from the field (27-of-55) and 40.7% from three-point range (11-of-27). The Wildcats found their rhythm in the second half, shooting 57.7% from the field and connecting on seven of their 12 three-point attempts. Linfield also recorded 14 assists and five blocked shots while holding Corban to 36.5% shooting for the game.
The Wildcats return to action Friday, Nov. 13, when they travel to Walla Walla, Washington, to face Walla Walla University at 2 p.m. before taking on California Prestige in a neutral site matchup on Sunday.
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