Area roundup: Ben College scores 26 as Whitworth holds off Linfield
Ben College tallied 26 points and Whitworth edged Linfield 78-75 Saturday in Northwest Conference men’s basketball in McMinnville, Oregon.
Jordan Lester’s 3-pointer with 1 minute, 22 seconds remaining gave the Pirates the lead for good at 75-72.
Isaiah Hernandez added 15 points for the Pirates (12-2, 4-1 NWC). Kyle Roach scored 12 points and Jared Christy hauled in 12 rebounds.
Liam O’Reilly totaled a game-high 27 points but missed a potential tying 3 in the closing seconds for the Wildcats (12-4, 4-2).
Phillip Malatare scored 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting with a team-high nine rebounds for NIC. RayQuan Evans added 18 points and eight boards for the Cardinals, who shot 56 percent (40 of 71) from the field to win their fifth straight game.
Forrest Smith led Walla Walla with 21 points.
Dedrick Pakootas tallied a team-high 22 points for CCS. Isaiah Gotell totaled 12 points, Garrett White notched 11 and JR Delgado scored 10.
Women’s basketball
Kory Oleson and Molly Danielson scored 22 points apiece, and Linfield held off Whitworth 85-81 in McMinnville, Oregon.
After a back-and-forth second half, Danielson hit a pair of shots to give Linfield an 83-80 lead late in the fourth quarter.
Cassidy Shultz added 15 points for the Wildcats (7-8, 3-3 NWC).
Camy Aguinaldo posted a game-best 26 points to lead the Pirates (8-7, 3-3). Madison Moffat added 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Koyama Young added 16 points, including 4 of 6 3-pointers, and nine rebounds for CCS. Paige Vorwaller scored 19 points and 11 rebounds for Treasure Valley.
Sydnie Peterson notched 14 points and Heidi Sellman scored 13, while Keara Simpson grabbed 13 rebounds for NIC.
McKenzie Gunter totaled 16 points to lead Walla Walla.