SPOKANE, Wash. --- Linfield women's basketball (17-2, 10-0 NWC) showed no signs of rust after 10 days off, cruising to a 76-53 win over the Whitworth Pirates (4-17, 3-9 NWC). The Wildcats have now won 13-straight, building onto their program-record best start in history.
 
Taking the opening tip, Skylar Willey drew a shooting foul, sinking both attempts to give Linfield a lead they went on to hold for the remainder of the game. Willey scored six of the 'Cats first 11-points, while Eve Burke and Allie Mead joined forces to go on an 11-0 run, commanding a dominant 15-2 lead to start the game.
 
The Linfield defense forced Whitworth to turn the ball over five times in the first, holding the Pirates to just five points in the first ten minutes; the fewest Linfield has allowed to an opponent in the first quarter this season, and second-fewest of any quarter. The 'Cats led 18-5 after one. 
 
Willey continued to work in the paint, whether it be earning trips to the charity stripe or sinking lay-ins. Burke sank a three early in the second to pair with the inside and outside threat that is the Wildcat offense, opening an 11-2 run through just 2:32 of the second quarter.
 
The Pirates fought back with a set of triples, although costly turnovers led to multiple Wildcat fast breaks to led to layups and keeping the lead at a comfortable 15 late in the quarter. Burke capped off the first half with another three, putting Linfield up 42-23 at the break.
 
The rest never slowed the Wildcats, with Miki Vermeulen and Allie Mead joining Willey with high-percentage looks in the paint to open with an 8-0 run, holding the Pirates without a bucket for over four minutes. The lead stretched to as many as 31 once Lauren Buchanan and Jayden Ray brought new energy off of the bench; 65-38 Linfield with ten to play.
 
Madison Barter, Jordan Roberts and Logan Roberts handled the scoring in the final quarter, squeezing time off of the clock to help seal the Wildcats dominant 76-53 win on the road. Linfield was held scoreless over the final 4:04 of the game as they cruised to victory.
 
16-different 'Cats saw minutes in Friday's game, with the starting lineup only totaling one-half of the game. Willey dropped a team-high 14 points with seven rebounds, matched only by Vermeulen with seven boards on 11 points. Hoekema was a force off the bench, also adding 11 points in 13 minutes.
 
Linfield led from start to finish, scoring 42 of 76 points inside the paint, with 30 total points coming off of the bench.
 
Women's hoops takes on the second-place Whitman Blues tomorrow afternoon in Walla Walla, aiming to build on their two-game lead in the Northwest Conference standings. 
 
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