FOREST GROVE, Ore.- With the game tied and just seconds remaining in the contest, Trevon Ridley (Freshman/Murrieta, CA) hit the game-winning three-pointer from the corner to give Pacific the 69-66 victory over first-place Linfield, Tuesday night inside the Stoller Center.
The Boxers (9-13, 5-8 NWC) trailed for majority of the game but rallied in the final two minutes to give themselves a shot to snatch the victory from the Wildcats. Pacific was 50% from three-point range in the second half and made three triples in the final five minutes.
With a field-goal percentage of 44.2%, the Boxers moved the ball well and were able to find many open looks throughout the contest.
Linfield (15-6, 10-3 NWC) were held to just 4-of-17 from beyond the arc due to Pacific’s pressure defending the perimeter. The Wildcats were led by Dempsey Roggenbuck who scored 23 points.
Jared Cattell (Senior/Bremerton, WA) paced the Pacific offense with 17 points while going 5-of-11 from three.
Lucas Winkler (Freshman/Portland, OR) posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 boards while also handing out six assists on the night. Winkler was very efficient, going 7-of-11 from the floor. Also finding his way into double figures was Isaiah Africano (Junior/Pearl City, HI) who tallied 12 points while grabbing 4 rebounds and hitting 6-of-7 shots from the foul line.
Ridley provided the huge basket in the dying seconds to give himself nine points on the night. The freshman also pulled down six rebounds.
How It Happened
Pacific opened the game with a trio of three-pointers to build an early lead, but Linfield would quickly respond with an 8-0 run to take control. The Wildcats would enter a lengthy scoring drought towards the end of the half that would allow the Boxers to whittle the lead to just three points at the break.
This would all set up for an exciting second half. Linfield came out firing and quickly extended their lead to 10 points, their largest of the game. The two teams would trade baskets until Cattell would begin catch fire from deep. The Bremerton, Wash. native hit four threes in an eight-minute span to put Pacific within striking distance.
The Boxers put together a 6-0 run to take a four-point lead with just over four minutes left to play. After a nifty drive to the basket from Winkler, Pacific would momentarily take the lead but the Wildcats would respond on the following possession to make the score 66-66 with 16 seconds remaining.
Head Coach Justin Lunt elected to save his timeout and let Winkler bring the ball up the court. The freshman showed great composure to drive the basket and kick to Ridley wide open in the corner. Ridley nailed the three with 1.9 seconds left on the clock and knocked the inbounds pass away to give Pacific the thrilling 69-66 victory over the top team in the Northwest Conference.
By The Numbers
- Linfield out-rebounded Pacific 34-26
- Pacific’s largest lead was four points with 4:08 remaining in the second half.
- The Boxers out-scored the Wildcats 20-10 on points-off-turnovers.
Up Next
Pacific heads to Portland, Ore. on Feb. 12 at 4 p.m. to take on Lewis & Clark.
For the latest information on Pacific Athletics, make sure to check out GoBoxers.com. You can also find the Boxers on social media at @GoBoxers on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
#GoBoxers
