McMINNVILLE, Ore. --- Linfield men's basketball (8-14, 6-8 NWC) battled with one of the Northwest Conference's top teams in Puget Sound (15-8, 10-4 NWC) falling short, 74-67, splitting the season series.
 
The Loggers captured the lead on the opening possession, trading buckets as the Wildcats started the night a perfect 4-4 from the field, grabbing a 9-5 lead early on thanks in part to a Chase Bennett three; one of two made by Bennett in the first half.
 
Both offenses came out firing, with the Wildcats holding on to a narrow lead for the majority of the first ten minutes. UPS then tied the game with 9:22 left in the half, part of an 8-0 run that gave the Loggers a 23-19 advantage.
 
Kohsuke Fuhiwara, Gavin Perdue and Nalu Vargas sank back-to-back-to-back three pointers, tying the game back up at 32-32 late in the half. Puget Sound made two free throws with 1:02 remaining, the last scores by either team in the half, making it 34-32 Loggers.
 
The offenses continued to shoot lights out, mostly led by Bennett who hit his stride in the final half. The senior guard made two threes and a jumper in the first four minutes of the half, staying within two possessions of UPS.
 
Later in the half, the Logger lead grew to nine, then Bennett made a three and a layup to help cut the deficit to two after a Garrett Callsen tip-in. But Puget Sound kept inching away, this time, leading by 12 with 2:32 remaining. Although Fujiwara and Vargas made a pair of three-pointers inside the final minute, the deficit had grown to be too much, meaning Puget Sound leveled the season series with a 74-67 win.
 
Tying a career-high of 22 points, senior Chase Bennett led the charge most of the night, draining five of six from beyond the arc, also leading all scorers in the game. Vargas' 6-10 from the field led to his 15-point night, one of three Wildcats in double digits. Shooting 56.5% from beyond the arc and winning the turnover battle wasn't enough as Puget Sound shot 56% from the field.
 
Men's basketball aims to get back on track next weekend, starting with Friday's senior night game against Lewis & Clark at 7:30 p.m.
 
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