Box ScorePhoto GalleryMcMINNVILLE, Ore. -
Gretchen Owens (Soph., Glendale, Ore.) poured home a career-high 35 points and Linfield forced Willamette into 21 turnovers on its way to a dominating 93-69 victory Saturday evening at Ted Wilson Gymnasium.
With the win Linfield improves to 5-16 overall and 3-9 in Northwest Conference action. Willamette slips to 3-18 on the season and 1-11 in the NWC.
A night after losing on a shot at the buzzer, it was clear from the opening tip that Owens wasn’t going to let the Wildcats go home losers for a second-straight night.
With 35 points, Owens tied the third highest scoring total for a single game in Linfield history. She did so on 8-of-16 shooting, including a 4-of-6 clip from beyond the arc. When Owens wasn’t knocking down shots from deep, she was getting to the free throw line. Owens converted 15-of-16 opportunities from the charity stripe.
Linfield came out of the gates strong, knocking down 8-of-16 shots to start the game. With the help of six Willamette turnovers, the Wildcats scored 11 of its first 21 points off Bearcat miscues.
After two Keilyn Fujioka free throws put Willamette up 5-4 less than two minutes into play, Linfield responded with an 18-2 run over the next seven minutes.
Nadra Evans (Sr., Astoria, Ore.) capped off the spurt with a short jumper, giving the Wildcats a 22-7 advantage at the 10:58 mark of the first half.
With a sizeable deficit to overcome, Willamette worked its way back to within nine. Alex Zennan buried a 3-pointer to cut Linfield’s lead to 27-18 with 6:13 left in the half. After the lead dipped to seven, the ‘Cats were quick to respond, using 3-pointers from
Lindsey Gummersall (Soph., Seattle, Wash.) and Evans to spark a 7-0 run.
Linfield took advantage of Willamette’s inability to take care of the ball. The Wildcats scored 15 points off 12 Bearcat turnovers in the first half, building a comfortable 41-24 lead at the break.
Coming out of the locker room, Linfield finished what it started, erasing any thoughts of a Willamette comeback.
Less than minutes into the second half, Gummersall converted a three-point play to put the Wildcats ahead by 18.
Owens, who had the hot hand all night, put the dagger in the Bearcats on consecutive plays. The smooth-shooting lefty sunk a 3-pointer from the right wing to give the Wildcats a 51-32 advantage. On Willamette’s ensuing possession, Owens jumped the passing lane and stole the ball. Owens finished the play with a layup, extending Linfield’s lead to 53-32 with 15:45 remaining.
Willamette battled back, trimming Linfield’s lead to 67-56 on a Zennan 3-pointer at the 7:47 mark.
Gina Engelson (Soph., Salem, Ore.) had an answer seconds later with a 3-pointer of her own, taking the wind out of Willamette’s sails.
To go along with Owens’ career night, three other Wildcats scored in double figures. Gummersall tallied 18 points and Evans chipped in with 15. Kelsey O’Neil gave Linfield a spark off the bench, scoring 12 points in 28 minutes of duty.
Erin Barclay led the Bearcats with a team-high 22 points. Zennan provided 17 points.
Linfield finished the night shooting 41.9 percent from the floor, knocking down 11 3-pointers in the process.
NEXT: Linfield hits the road Friday for an 8 p.m. game against Pacific, following the men's NWC clash at 6 p.m.
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