TACOMA, Wash. — The Pacific Lutheran University men's basketball team erased a 19-point deficit to force overtime on Friday evening but fell victim to a three with 11 ticks left in the extra session, having its Northwest Conference home opener spoiled 79-78 at the hands of Linfield University.
 
Julian Brown headlined the night for the Lutes (4-8, 1-2 NWC), finishing with a double double with a career-high 24 points and 10 rebounds, shooting a blistering 10-for-15 from the floor. 
 
Homestanding PLU trailed by 17 at the halftime break and dug into a 19-point crater early in the second half. A Brown layup sparked an 8-0 Lute run, reducing the gap to 11 with 16:40 left in the game. A Mack Hepper three made it a single digit deficit for the first time with 13:50 to play but Linfield (5-7, 2-1 NWC) struck back, enjoying a 14-point buffer with 8:24 remaining.
 
A Miles Nash and one sparked a 10-0 Lute run with 7:22 left in the game, reducing a 14-point gap to just four on an Emmett Holt free throw with 4:37 remaining in regulation. A Miles Nash trey with 2:11 left made it a one possession game while a Nash layup with 10 seconds left tied the game at 67 to force a five minute overtime.

Overtime went back and forth with eight lead changes over the extra five minutes. PLU took its first lead of the game on a Henry Smith three 34 seconds into overtime and went up by two later in the session on another Smith trey. PLU enjoyed a two point edge with 18 seconds left but Linfield's Max Juhala drained a three with 11 ticks left in what proved to be the game winner.  
 
The visiting Wildcats shot lights on in the first half, enjoying a 47-30 lead at the break after hitting 54.5 percent of its shots and 58.3 percent of its opportunities from three-point range. 
 
Brown was one of four Lutes to finish in double figures. Nash had 15 points and five assists, hitting six of his 10 shots from the floor while Holt and Smith each had 10 points.
 
PLU owned a 28-18 edge in points in the paint and won the turnover battle with just 10 to Linfield's 15. PLU limited Linfield to shooting just 25.0 percent in the second half, ending the game having outshot the visitors by a slim margin. PLU shot at a 44.3 percent (27-for-61) clip while Linfield hit 44.1 percent (26-for-59) of its chances. 
 
The Lutes are back on the hardwood on Saturday , hosting George Fox University at 4 p.m. inside Olson Gymnasium.