SALEM, Ore. --- Linfield men's basketball (7-13, 5-7 NWC) battled back from a double-digit deficit on the road against the Willamette Bearcats (14-9, 9-5 NWC), falling short in the final second of the game, 58-56.
 
Willamette scored the first six points of the game, holding Linfield without a basket for the first 2:52 until Chase Bennett sank a three, making it 6-3 Bearcats. Garrett Callsen got to work in the paint with two lay-ins, while Nalu Vargas drained a three to tie the game back up at 8-8 and later taking a 10-8 lead for the 'Cats first advantage of the game.
 
Linfield took a five-point lead thanks to a Peyton Reyes takeover, including a three to help take a 15-10 lead. Both defenses locked in, as the scoring slowed. A 10-0 run by Willamette flipped the script. Callsen had a 6-0 run of his own to keep pace with Willamette who led 31-25 at halftime.
 
The Bearcats led by as many as 11 early in the second half, but Bennett caught fire once again with a three, a layup and two free throws to keep Linfield within striking distance. Linfield's defense stalled Willamette for seven minutes, going on a 13-0 run to take a 52-49 lead with 5:12 remaining, capped off by a three from Dayton Magaña. 
 
Down the stretch, the game was tied twice with both teams hanging just one-possession apart. Kohsuke Fujiwara had a crucial steal with the shot clock turned off, executing the layup on the other end to tie it up yet again at 56-56. Coming out of a Willamette full timeout, the Bearcats' Tanner Overby sank a pull-up jumper from the free throw line with one-second left on the clock. Linfield was unable to advance the ball past halfcourt, and could not execute a half-court heave as time expired.

"Our guys battled once again, but we got in a bit of a hole due to some turnovers and rebounding miscues." said head coach Elijah Gurash. "But the fight and determination was there."
 
Willamette leveled the season series against Linfield, with each team winning on their home courts. Callsen's dominance down low helped him to a team-high 16 points, while Vargas grabbed nine rebounds. The 'Cats outshot the Bearcats in all three phases, but Willamette's 15 points off turnovers, six blocks and eight steals proved the difference in the mid-week match up.
 
Men's basketball continues on their stretch of five games in eight days, returning to Ted Wilson Gymnasium this weekend to host Pacific Lutheran and Puget Sound on Friday and Saturday night.
 
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