PORTLAND, Ore. --- Linfield University converted two free throws in the final second to defeat Lewis & Clark College men's basketball 72-71 on Saturday evening at Pamplin Sports Center.
 
THE BASICS
 
Linfield 72, Lewis & Clark 71
Lewis & Clark (8-9, 4-4 NWC)
Linfield (7-9, 5-3 NWC)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
Junior Yigit Arcan led the River Otters with a career-high 18 points and a team-high seven rebounds. He went 8-for-13 from the field and recorded two blocks and two steals. Senior Taien Jackson tied his career-high with 15 points and added four rebounds, shooting 6-for-14 and contributing two assists.
 
Sophomore Donovan Beard scored a career-high 12 points off the bench on 5-of-9 shooting and added two rebounds, two assists and two steals. Fellow sophomore Marcus Bast finished with nine points, six rebounds and four assists.
 
Seniors Kody Uyesugi and Justin White scored eight and seven points, respectively. Uyesugi hit two 3-pointers, while White grabbed three rebounds and recorded three steals.
 
Lewis & Clark opened strong in the first half. Arcan drained a 3-pointer at 18:14 to give the River Otters a 3-2 lead, and Uyesugi followed with a 3-pointer at 15:55 to tie the game at 6-6.
 
The contest remained tight throughout the opening period. The score was tied twice, and the lead changed hands 11 times before halftime. Bast scored on back-to-back fast-break layups at 8:37 and 8:12 to put Lewis & Clark ahead 21-19. White converted a 3-pointer in the final two minutes to help the River Otters take a 29-27 halftime lead.
 
The second half featured continued back-and-forth play, with neither team leading by more than three points in the first seven minutes. Beard made a jumper at 15:24 to cut Linfield's lead to 39-38. Jackson converted a fast-break layup at 14:39 and added a free throw to tie the game at 41-41.
 
White scored on a layup at 13:53 to give Lewis & Clark a 43-41 advantage. Bast hit a 3-pointer at 12:50 to push the lead to 46-41, and Beard added another fast-break layup at 10:23 to extend the margin to 50-44.
 
Linfield responded with a 20-5 run. Dayton Magana made a 3-pointer to give the Wildcats a 64-55 lead with 5:26 remaining.
 
Lewis & Clark rallied in the final minutes. Jackson, Arcan and Bast each scored layups to trim the deficit to 64-61. Arcan drained a 3-pointer at 2:14 to cut the gap to 66-64.
 
Sophomore Jake Rodriguez scored on a driving layup at 1:09 to pull the River Otters within 68-66. Jackson hit a 3-pointer from the corner to make it 70-69, Linfield, with 17 seconds left. Beard stole an inbounds pass and finished a fast-break layup with 16 seconds remaining to give Lewis & Clark a 71-70 lead.
 
Linfield's Chase Bennett missed a layup with four seconds left, but Garrett Callsen grabbed the offensive rebound. Senior Khalil Glover-Dodson fouled Callsen with one second on the clock, and Callsen made both free throws to put the Wildcats ahead 72-71.
 
Uyesugi's 3-pointer at the buzzer missed. Callsen finished with a game-high 25 points and eight rebounds, while Magana added 15 points.
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Lewis & Clark shot 50.0 percent from the field, converting 30 of 60 attempts.
• The River Otters held a 23-0 advantage in fast-break points and a 15-14 edge in assists.
• Lewis & Clark received 21 points from the bench, led by Beard's 12.
• The game saw 20 lead changes and seven ties.
• The River Otters converted Linfield's 17 turnovers into 23 points.

WHO'S NEXT
 
Lewis & Clark hosts Pacific Lutheran University on Friday evening in Northwest Conference action. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Pamplin Sports Center.