River Hits for 19 Points, Carpenter Scores 18, in 71-54 Win at Linfield

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

McMINNVILLE, Ore. -- Megan River (So., G, Tumwater, WA/A.G. West Black Hills HS) scored a career-high 19 points and teammate Amanda Carpenter (Grad., G, Beaverton, OR/Sunset HS) tacked on 18 points to lead Willamette University past nearby Northwest Conference rival Linfield University, 71-54, on Saturday, Feb. 19 at Ted Wilson Gymnasium. The Bearcats led 41-26 at halftime and led by double figures throughout the second half.

Linfield pulled within 53-43 at the end of the third quarter, but the Bearcats opened the fourth quarter with an 11-4 run for a 62-47 advantage with 3:50 left. Willamette ended the season at 12-13 overall, including 6-9 in the NWC. Linfield concluded its schedule with a 1-23 record, 1-15 in the NWC.

River hit 8 of 11 field goals for the Bearcats. She also recorded five rebounds and four assists. Carpenter connected on a game-high four 3-point shots and led all players with nine rebounds. CarolAnn Edwards (So., F, Spokane, WA/University HS) finished with 10 points, while Ava Kitchin (So., F, Redmond, OR/Redmond HS) hit 4 of 4 field goals on her way to nine points. Carolyn Ho (So., G, Parker, CO/Ponderosa HS) earned six points, five assists, and three steals.

Carpenter completed her Willamette career with 102 games played, including 75 starts. She achieved 787 points, 320 rebounds, 158 assists, and 92 steals. She hit 124 three-point baskets to rank ninth all-time at Willamette. She took 385 three-point attempts to place seventh all-time at Willamette. This year, she led the Bearcats with 11.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.

For Linfield, Jordan Worthington led the Wildcats with 16 points, as she put through 6 of 7 field goal attempts and went 4 for 5 at the free throw line. Emma Schmerbach scored 12 points and also hit 6 of 7 shots. Alexis Heald registered nine points and four rebounds. Maggie Smith garnered five boards, while Brook Landis was credited with five assists.

A strong start by the Bearcats gave Willamette an 8-2 lead with 5:30 left in the first quarter. Linfield scored next on a jumper by Schmerbach, but the Bearcats answered with a 9-2 run that started and ended with a layup by Ashley Collins (So., P, Chino Hills, CA/Chino Hills HS) and included a 3-pointer by River and a jumper by Morgan Yamane (Sr., F, Moses Lake, WA/Moses Lake HS).

Yamane played in 69 games with 31 starts during her three seasons with the Bearcats and concluded her career with 132 rebounds. Willamette did not compete in women's basketball in 2020-21 due to COVID-19.

The first-quarter surge by Willamette created a 17-6 lead with 3:20 on the clock. Linfield tallied 11 of the next 12 points to cut the margin to 18-17 after Rowan Cusack sank 1 of 2 free throws with 42 seconds to go. Edwards added a layup for the Bearcats eight seconds later.

Willamette put together a 6-2 run at the start of the second quarter to grab a 26-19 edge following a 3-pointer by Carpenter at the 6:23 mark. The Wildcats pulled with 29-26, but WU scored the final 12 points of the half. The closing run included one 3-pointer each by Carpenter and Ho. River had 15 points at the break.

Carpenter scored 12 points in the second half, including a layup with 7:07 left in the third quarter for a 47-28 lead. A bit later, WU was in front 53-38 following a layup by Kitchin at the 2:12 mark. Linfield scored the next five points, ending with a layup from Schmerbach with 18 seconds to play, as the Wildcats crept within 10 points entering the final period. Willamette's 11-4 surge at the start of the fourth quarter featured two 3-pointers by Carpenter and four points by River.

During the game, WU shot 47.3% on field goals (26 of 55), including 8 of 13 in the second quarter (61.5%). The Bearcats made 6 of 21 three-pointers (28.6%) and limited the Wildcats to just 14.3% (2 of 14) from three-point range. The Bearcats attained a 37-29 rebounding margin and grabbed 12 offensive boards.