Ian Rapport – Sports reporter. January was a rough month for the Linfield women’s basketball team, as it lost six out of eight conference games. While there is some concern, this is an important rebuilding year, and the team aspires to improve in the future.
In a game against fifth-ranked George Fox University on Feb. 13, the Wildcats fell to the Bruins 86-54. GFU freshman center Hannah Munger was the top scorer with 22 points, extending GFU’s undefeated conference record (13-0).
Falling behind early, Linfield senior Nadra Evans and sophomore Lindsey Gummersall stepped up to keep the Wildcats within 10 points at the half.
“I think the entire first half was extremely important for us last game.” Gummersall said. “We proved to ourselves that we could compete with George Fox. They are an extremely talented team, but we realized that so are we, and now we have the confidence to play with them.”
The Bruins blew the game open during the next half, which led to the Wildcats’ demise. Gummersall did well offensively, scoring 19 points.
With the loss, Linfield falls to 4-10 in conference play and 6-17 overall.
Even with some disappointing results this year, head coach Casey Kushiyama said he’s still proud of his team.
“I am pleased with the improvement and resiliency that this team has shown this year,” he said. “But if you asked if I am satisfied with where the team is right now, the answer would be ‘no.’ I won’t be pleased until we are competing for conference championships on a yearly basis.”
With the season coming to a close, Linfield still has two conference games left. It will play Whitman College at 6 p.m. Feb. 19 and Whitworth University at 6 p.m. Feb. 20. The Wildcats will have homecourt advantage in both matchups.