SPOKANE, Wash. --- Linfield men's basketball (7-11, 5-5 NWC) made a second-half run but a slow first half was too much to overcome, falling 67-58 to the Whitworth Pirates (16-4, 11-1 NWC) on the road.
 
Whitworth opened the game with a bucket on the first possession, answered immediately by Garrett Callsen who sank a lay-in on the other end. An ensuing 5-0 run by the Pirates was halted by a Gavin Perdue three to keep the Wildcats within striking distance through the first ten minutes of the defensive first half.
 
With multiple trips to the free throw line and a pair of threes, the Pirates were able to pull ahead to a double-digit lead with 8:01 remaining in the first half. Dayton Magaña and Nalu Vargas helped Linfield keep pace, but the Whitworth offense prevailed to a 33-21 lead at the half.
 
Callsen, Magaña and Vargas began to chip away at the deficit early in the second half while the defense stifled the Pirates to just one basket over the first three minutes. The lead grew back to 13 although both teams were unable to go on extended runs. Perdue and Vargas get back in stride from beyond the arc, while Logan Morrill got to work down low, clawing back to a six-point deficit with eight minutes left in the game.
 
Both squads found themselves in foul trouble with plenty of time left on the clock, with Linfield having the benefit of entering the bonus first. Callsen sank two free throws, followed by strong defense, leading to another Magaña three to make it 53-48 Whitworth entering crunch time.
 
Trading baskets and trips to the free throw line, Whitworth maintained the advantage entering the final minutes. The Linfield defense was unable to slow the Pirates who found success in the paint down the stretch, keeping the Pirates atop the Northwest Conference standings, 67-58.
 
Callsen's work in the paint equated to 18 points and seven rebounds, with Vargas earning a double-double on 11 points and 10 rebounds in the game. Shooting just 23% from the field in the first half plagued the Wildcats hopes of earning their first win in Spokane since 2001. 

"I thought our guys battled through a slow start, where we just had some trouble executing at a high level. They settled in and battled. Just fell a few shots short in the end." Said head coach Elijah Gurash following the game. 
 
The 'Cats aim to turn to around tomorrow evening in Walla Walla, set to take on the Whitman Blues at 5 p.m.
 
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