TACOMA, Wash. - Jordan Thomas scored 19 points and the Pacific Lutheran University men's basketball team traded blows with Northwest Conference rival Linfield College in the first half before running out of steam and falling 81-50 on Saturday inside Olson Gymnasium.

Conor Geiger set the tone early, hitting a three-pointer to open the game while a Thomas layup put the Lutes (6-12, 3-7 NWC) up 9-3 with 13:07 remaining in the opening stanza. The visiting Wildcats (14-5, 7-3 NWC) battled back, taking their first lead of the game on a three with 8:02 left before halftime. The Wildcats lead would be just a single possession before scoring the final six points of the half, taking a 28-21 lead into the locker room. 

"We competed hard in the first half. We weren't necessarily sharp but we battled," said Head Coach Chad Murray.

Linfield pulled away in the second half, staking a 17-point advantage just over five minutes in and never looked back en route to the win. 

"In the second half I didn't think we came out with any intensity on either end and Linfield most definitely did. We talked at halftime about how we know we needed to increase both our effort and execution to match what Linfield was going to do."

Thomas finished with a game-high 19 points, hitting nine of his 13 shots while also grabbing nine rebounds and four steals. Kelton Williams added nine points while Geiger finished with six.

"Jordan gave everyone a glimpse of the player he can become if he continues to work hard. He's a fun player to watch."

PLU shot just 33.3 percent (20-for-60) from the floor while Linfield hit 54.4 percent (31-for-57) of its chances. including hitting 67.7 percent of shots (21-for-31) in the second half. The Lutes held a 15-9 edge in offensive boards but turnovers proved costly with Linfield enjoying a 20-9 advantage in points off turnovers.

"Tomorrow and Monday we'll make sure we take advantage of the time we have left and not forget to stay true to each other as we work through this tough process."

The Lutes are back on the hardwood on Friday, trekking to Salem, Oregon to face Willamette University.