FOREST GROVE, Ore.- Pacific executed the game plan and caused an abundance of problems for defending conference champion Linfield in their statement win over the Wildcats.
The Boxers held the Wildcats to a season-low 34% from the field while forcing a season-high 17 turnovers from the visitors. Pacific didn't have the best shooting night, but dominated the opposition on the glass, out-rebounding Linfield 44-30.
Tonight's win makes it Pacific's best start to Northwest Conference play since the 2017-18 season.
Top Performers
- Jared Cattell carried the load on the offensive end with a game-high 17 points on 5-of-13 shooting. The Bremerton, Wash. native nailed three triples and connected on all four of his foul shots.
- Point guard Lucas Winkler put together an excellent all-around game with nine points, eight assists, five steals, and a team-high 11 rebounds.
- Jacob Bolger tallied 11 points and pulled down six boards off the bench.
How It Happened
Pacific struggled to find the shooting stroke in the first half as the team posted a field-goal percentage of just 29% in the opening 20 minutes. Linfield got 14 points from Jackson Dupree, who was a perfect 5-fo-5 (3-3 3FG). Despite shooting over 40% from the floor, the Wildcats only managed a single-digit lead (36-28) to take into the locker room.
The two teams combined to shoot 4-of-21 to start the second half, but the Boxers took advantage and cut the lead to just one point at the under-12 media timeout. Pacific rallied for a 15-0 run and finally took the lead when Cattell finished off a silky reverse layup. Forest Grove's team was stellar on the defensive end as they held Linfield scoreless for over eight minutes during the run. The Wildcats committed six turnovers over the eight-minute span as Pacific's pressure proved to be too much to handle. This turned the tide of the contest and the Boxers wouldn't relinquish the lead the rest of the way.
Ethan Moss poured in four straight points to make it a four-point lead and the hosts went ahead and made it an 8-0 run after baskets from
Isaiah Africano and Winkler. This allowed the Boxers to coast for the final minutes, knocking down some free throws on their way to their second straight victory to start NWC play.
Up Next
The Boxers take a short break before heading to Southern California to face Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. for some nonconference action.
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