McMINNVILLE, Ore. -- Jamison Richards scored 25 points, and Peyton Romo added 18 more, as the Lewis & Clark Pioneers won 74-63 at the Linfield Wildcats on Saturday. 

The victory earns the Pios a 2-0 start to the Northwest Conference season, the first time the Pios have done so since 2016-17.

Trailing 26-15 at the end of the first quarter, Lewis & Clark outscored Linfield, 46-26, in the second half.

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Key Moments

At one point in the first quarter, the Wildcats (0-9, 0-2 NWC) held a 16-point lead. Romo and Richards scored late buckets to trim the deficit down to five. Richards scored 17 of their 25 points before halftime and helped move the Pios to within nine at the break.

"Tonight was all about our defense and our resilience," head coach Ann Dorris said. "Down 16 in the first quarter, we put on a full court press for the next three and they just kept fighting and chipping away until we took the lead.

"Incredible performances by Eva and Peyton, hitting some big threes when we needed them and being relentless on defense and hustle plays. Laurel Marchant came off the bench and was the one who really pushed us over the edge to get the lead."

Marchant played nine minutes and scored nine points on 3 of 5 shooting. She had a pair of rebounds and didn't commit a turnover. 

Deeper Look

• Delsie Johnson had 11 points and two rebounds, the latter her lowest total since Feb. 14, 2020 when she pulled in two against Puget Sound
• Romo has been in double figures for four straight games, and her 18 points are the most since scoring 24 in the home opener on Nov. 10
• Gabby Beltran scored five and a game-most four steals, while Coco Shafer led the Pios with four assists
• Emma Schmerbach had 11 points to lead the Wildcats

Looking Ahead

The Pios (5-4, 2-0 NWC) are idle until Dec. 19.