LINFIELD UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL VERSUS PACIFIC LUTHERAN • JANUARY 6, 2023

twin telepathy

Riley

by jordan worthington ‘23

twin

To quote one of the cringiest phrases that exists in the world today, “Twinning is winning.” In the case of the Linfield University women’s basketball team, that isn’t always the case. Twinning is losing, twinning is fighting, twinning is competing, twinning is standing up for each other. Most of all, for twins Riley and Rowan Cusack and Jordan and Logan Roberts – twinning is pushing one another other to be better.

Jordan and Logan, freshmen from Twin Falls, Idaho, are the newest set of sisters on the team, joining sophomores Riley and Rowan Cusack from Auburn, Washington.

Those who don’t know the twins outside of watching them on the court would surely have a hard time telling them apart. Rowan and Riley, though fraternal, are almost harder to tell apart since they are both lightning quick guards, each standing 5-foot-2. Sefenders are lucky if their long dark ponytails don’t blow past them off the dribble. Jordan and Logan, 5-foot-8 and 5-foot-9, respectively, are long and lanky guards and even though identical, they’re discernible only by how they wear their hair; Logan usually wears it in a low bun, while Jordan wears a high bun.

Most athletes never get the chance to play a collegiate sport alongside a sibling, let alone one they shared a womb with. All four Wildcats can relate to a specific, indescribable feeling they have when stepping on the floor together.

“We know how each other plays and how we think. We just kind of connect, like twin telepathy,” Logan says.

“I know exactly what (Rowan’s) going to do,” says Riley. “If I make a pass, I know for a fact she’s going to catch it.”

This special connection on the basketball court started at a young age.

For the Roberts twins, being an athlete runs in the family, so it was basically a requirement for them to try sports, too. Their grandfather coached Division-I men’s basketball at Pepperdine, while their grandmother competed on the first Olympic volleyball team. Their mother played college basketball at Concordia University.

The Cusacks first discovered basketball at an after-school program in kindergarten. Ever since then, they’ve been in constant competition against one another.

“We limited ourselves playing one-on-one. Because we would get so angry and we couldn’t put a score on it, but we both knew in our heads that we were keeping score, and so we would literally play for hours,” Rowan says, laughing.

Anyone who has a sibling knows there is always some type of rivalry. Anyone who has a twin knows that feeling times 10.

“It would (make me mad) if Logan was good at something,

so I had to find something I was good at,” Jordan says with a smile.

On the flip side, they know each other so well that they know exactly what the other one needs when a game or practice gets tough.

“It’s also just nice because we can lift each other up, too. I know when Logan gets mad, I can see it in her eyes,” Jordan says. “I remind her that it’s a game and she’s not perfect. There are going to be good and bad (days).”

“(Riley) gives me this specific look and it literally says everything and then I’m ready,” Rowan says.

Off the court, both sets of twins have stark differences. According to the Cusacks, Riley is super blunt. Rowan is more gentle and thinks about her words. Riley is a studio art major while Rowan studies psychology. However, they’re both fairly outgoing.

Jordan and Logan experience a similar dynamic. Logan tends to speak her mind more, whereas Jordan can be tentative. Jordan studies psychology while Logan majors in exercise science. When it comes to busting out a dance move however, they are quite the dynamic duo.

At the end of the day, they wouldn’t truly feel themselves without the other one with them.

“Riley was there when I started (playing) so she is like my partner in all of it. She’s kind of like my safety net that I can fall back on at any point,” Rowan says.

A bond like the twins enjoy is rare and Linfield women’s basketball is fortunate to have a double dose of it. What does this mean for the team? Double the laughs, double the energy and dance moves from the Roberts twins, and double the speed and competitive-mindset from the Cusacks. While striving to make each other better every day, they’re making those around them better, too.

and Rowan Cusack, and Logan and Jordan Roberts share what it’s really like playing a sport with your

WOMEN’S COACH CASEY BUNN-WILSON

Casey Bunn-Wilson is in her eighth season as women’s basketball coach at Linfield. In her first year with the Wildcats, she helped guide the women to the program’s first winning record in five seasons (13-12) and a share of sixth place in the Northwest Conference, one of the premier women’s basketball leagues in NCAA Division III. In 2018-19, the Wildcats reached the NWC Tournament despite a competing with an injury depleted roster.

Bunn-Wilson spent three seasons as girls basketball coach at Tualatin High School, compiling a 39-32 win-loss record while leading the Timberwolves to three straight OSAA Class 6A state playoff appearances.

At Oregon State, Bunn-Wilson led the Pacific-10 Conference in scoring as a senior in 2007, averaging 20.0 points per game. She graduated from OSU with a bachelor’s degree in Public Health Promotion and Education.

A star athlete at Stayton High School, Bunn-Wilson earned varsity letters in basketball, volleyball, softball and track. On the basketball court, she was a four-time all-state, all-region and all-conference honoree. The Capital Conference Player of the Year for three straight seasons, Bunn-Wilson led Stayton to the league championship her freshman and junior seasons. She set SHS career records for points (1,831), rebounds (783), assists (342) and steals (306) and went on to represent Stayton in the Oregon Class 3A All-Star game following graduation.

Bunn-Wilson played professionally in Greece, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Australia. While competing overseas, she earned allleague honors on the Portuguese All-Star team.

At Linfield, Bunn-Wilson also co-directs the athletic department’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

WOMEN’S GAME DAY

PREVIEW

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LINFIELD AT A GLANCE

The Wildcats have emphasized defense this season, ranking fourth in the NWC with 58.8 points allowed per game. Rowan Cusack was named the NWC Women’s Basketball Student-Athlete of the Week on Dec. 12 after scoring a career-high 20 points with four three-pointers in Linfield’s 64-55 win over Warner Pacific. She’s the first Linfield honoree since Kory Oleson in 2019-20. Heading into the winter break, Gillyan Landis led the team with 10.1 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, which rank fifth in the NWC.

PACIFIC LUTHERAN AT A GLANCE

The Lutes come into Ted Wilson Gymnasium chasing their first NWC win. Ashley Akamine is just outside the conference’s top-10 rankings in scoring, sitting in 11th with 10.9 points per game while averaging 5.3 rebounds per game. Sydney Reisner is second to Akamine with 9.6 points per game. Ava Edmonds’ 7.2 rebounds per game are good for No. 6 in the NWC. She’s also shooting 90.9 percent from the free throw line to lead the Lutes.

THE SERIES

Linfield has played Pacific Lutheran 76 times. The Wildcats are 2650 against the Lutes in the all-time series. The ‘Cats won 13 of the last 18 meetings, but the Lutes swept the season series last year, winning 66-61 in McMinnville and 63-54 in Tacoma.

MEET THE LINFIELD WOMEN

official publication of the linfield wildcats • golinfieldwildcats.com GAME

Back row (l to r): Jordan Roberts, Alexis Heald, Elyse Waldal, Logan Roberts, Gillyan Landis, Jordan Worthington, Peyton Bergevin, Miki Vermeulen, Lauren Quinn. Front row: Kaylee Schow, Anna Dazey, Ella Koebelin, Riley Cusack, Head Coach Casey Bunn-Wilson, Rowan Cusack, Janessa Yniguez, Paige LaFountain, Eve Burke.

LINFIELD WOMEN

NO. NAME POS. HT. YR./EL. HOMETOWN / PREVIOUS SCHOOL 1 Logan Roberts G/F 5-9 Fr./Fr. Twin Falls, Idaho / Canyon Ridge 2 Jordan Roberts G 5-8 Fr./Fr. Twin Falls, Idaho / Canyon Ridge

Miki Vermeulen G/F 5-10 Fr./Fr. Renton, Wash. / Liberty

Eve Burke G 5-7 Fr./Fr. Port Angeles, Wash. / Port Angeles

Ella Koebelin G 5-4 Fr./Fr. Silverdale, Wash. / Klahowya Secondary

Rowan Cusack G 5-2 So./So. Auburn, Wash. / Bellarmine Prep

Paige LaFountain G 5-6 Sr./Sr. Tigard, Ore. / Tigard

Riley Cusack G 5-2 So./Fr. Auburn, Wash. / Bellarmine Prep 14 Laurel Quinn G 5-8 Fr./Fr. Vancouver, Wash. / King’s Way Christian 15 Anna Dazey G 5-6 So./Fr. Corvallis, Ore. / Corvallis 20 Alexis Heald F 5-9 Sr./Sr. Portland, Ore. / Lincoln 21 Jordan Worthington F 6-0 Sr./Sr. Woodinville, Wash. / Woodinville 22 Kaylee Schow G 5-7 Sr./Jr. Tenino, Wash. / South Puget Sound C.C. 23 Peyton Bergevin F 5-11 Jr./Jr. Walla Walla, Wash. / Walla Walla 24 Elyse Waldal F 5-10 So./So. Snohomish, Wash. / Glacier Peak 30 Janessa Yniguez G 5-3 Sr./Sr. Santa Cruz, Calif. / St. Francis Salesian Prep 32 Gillyan Landis C 6-2 So./So. Yakima, Wash. / West Valley

HEAD COACH: Casey Bunn-Wilson (eighth year)

ASSISTANT COACHES: Jeremy Vandenboer, Maggie Smith

NO. NAME POS. HT. YR. HOMETOWN / PREVIOUS SCHOOL

4 Katy Cook F 5-8 Jr. Tacoma, Wash. / Franklin Pierce 5 Jaida Wood F 5-9 So. Port Angeles, Wash. / Port Angeles 10 Kasidy Javernick G 5-9 So. Tualatin, Ore. / Tualatin 12 Taylor Schmidtke G 5-8 So. Buckley, Wash. / White River 13 Ashley Akamine G 5-7 So. Lahaina, Hawaii / Lahainaluna HS 21 Sydney Reisner G 5-7 Fr. Burlington, Wash. / Burlington-Edison 22 Kaylie Bracy G/F 5-10 Fr. Lake Stevens, Wash. / Lake Stevens 25 Emi Wada G 5-5 Fr. Aiea, Hawaii / Hawaii Baptist Academy 30 Breeze Bartle F 6-0 Jr. Hillsboro, Ore. / Liberty 31 Sydney Riedel F 5-9 Fr. Olympia, Wash. / Capital 32 Ava Edmonds F 5-10 Jr. Puyallup, Wash. / Puyallup 34 Stacie Spahr F/C 5-11 So. Toledo, Wash. / Toledo 35 Sarah Midimo F/C 6-2 Fr. Tacoma, Wash. / Cascade Christian 42 Faye Davis F 6-0 Fr. Redmond, Ore. / Ridgeview HEAD COACH: Lee Aduddell (first year) ASSISTANT COACHES: Rebekah Wells, Tracie Mezera-Juarez

The Linfield Sports Network will again bring fans live action of all home Linfield basketball games during 2022-23. Fans can enjoy live video webcasts with play-by-play commentary on their computer, tablet, mobile device or smart TV.

Live coverage begins 15 minutes prior to the start of each game. Broadcasts include a complete postgame wrap-up with analysis and statistical breakdown. Linfield will also provide live audio-only webcasts of all of the Wildcats’ Northwest Conference road contests.

McMinnville native Joe Stuart begins his fourth season as the play-by-play voice of the basketball Wildcats. The 2020 Linfield graduate is the Athletics Broadcast Operations Coordinator, managing all aspects of Linfield’s webcasting outreach and handling lead play-by-play duties on Linfield football, baseball

and softball webcasts in addition to basketball. Stuart also assists with other external sports communications and social media needs.

Linfield junior Isaac Milner will contribute occational play-by-play and color analysis on Linfield basketball broadcasts this winter. Milner, who also serves as lead play-by-play voice for Linfield soccer, began his broadcasting career with the LSN last year covering soccer, providing color commentary on basketball webcasts, handling occasional play-by-play duties for volleyball, basketball and softball, as well as crucial production support on football, softball, tennis and swimming webcasts.

All LSN broadcasts, both live and on demand, can be accessed at golinfieldwildcats.com/watch or in the Linfield Athletics app on mobile, tablet or smart TVs.

MEN’S COACH SHANAN ROSENBERG

Shanan Rosenberg is in his 10th year as Linfield men’s basketball coach. Since taking over leadership of the program, Rosenberg has guided Linfield through a “worst-to-first” transformation, capping it in 2019-20 with a share of program’s first Northwest Conference title since 2001. Linfield followed with a second co-championship in 2021-22. Under Rosenberg’s direction, the Wildcats have reached the NWC Tournament in four consecutive seasons, ending a seven-year playoff drought.

In nine seasons as head coach, hIs career record at Linfield stands at 116-99 overall and 74-64 in NWC play.

Rosenberg has twice been named Northwest Conference Coach of the Year. His first league honor came in 2017 after guiding the program to its first winning season since 2008 and first conference playoff berth in five seasons. The most recent NWC accolade came in 2020. That season, the Wildcats went 20-6 and were

crowned conference co-champion during a run that included victories over nationally ranked Whitman and Whitworth on consecutive nights. Over a six-season span after taking over the program, the Wildcats elevated their conference record from 2-14 to 14-2.

Rosenberg was previously head men’s basketball coach for 11 years at Foothill College, a two-year college near Palo Alto in the south San Francisco Bay region. At Foothill, he compiled a 186-131 win-loss record. His 2012-13 team went 22-5, achieving the best regular-season finish in program history.

A native of central California, Rosenberg starred in basketball at St. Francis High School in Mountain View, leading the Lancers to a Central Coast Section championship in 1988. As a student-athlete and three-year letterman at UC-Davis, he earned all-North Coast Athletic Conference honors while leading the Aggies in rebounding his final two seasons.

From the weekend warrior to the elite athlete, we are ready to get you back in the game. We will work closely with you to help create a treatment plan geared to and focused on you.

We are proud to serve as the team physicians for Linfield College, McMinnville High School and the See Ya Later Foundation.

MEN’S GAME DAY

PREVIEW

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LINFIELD AT A GLANCE

Going into the holiday break, the Wildcats were putting up 74.4 points per game and ranked No. 3 in the NWC in scoring defense, limiting opponents to 68.5 points per game. Trey Bryant ranks sixth in the NWC with 14.4 points per game and leads the team with 5.6 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.3 steals per game. Carson Bonine is second to Bryant with 10.9 points per game while Jackson Dupree is also averaging in double figures at 10.3. Reece Gibb is shooting 47.1 percent from three-point range, connecting on 16 of his 34 attempts from beyond the arc.

PACIFIC LUTHERAN AT A GLANCE

The Lutes are the second-ranked team in the NWC in scoring defense, allowing 65.3 points per game. They have six players scoring in double digits. Sam Noland leads the group with 12.6 points per game while Brandin Riedel is right behind at 11.9 points per game to go with 5.6 rebounds per game. Jordan Thomas is scoring 10.4 points per game and leads the Lutes with 7.5 rebounds per game. Thomas also leads the team with 25 assists, 17 steals and 10 blocks.

THE SERIES

Linfield holds a narrow 55-52 advantage in the all-time series with Pacific Lutheran. The Wildcats won 13 straight games between 2000 and 2005. The ‘Cats have been significantly better against the Lutes at home, posting a 37-15 record in McMinnville. Linfield has won nine straight meetings with PLU. The ‘Cats swept the season series last year, winning 87-84 in McMinnville and 72-64 in Tacoma.

LINFIELD MEN

NO. NAME POS. HT. WT. YR./EL. HOMETOWN / PREVIOUS SCHOOL

0 Jake Downing G 6-4 175 So./So. Seattle, Wash / Roosevelt

1 Chase Bennett G 5-10 165 Fr./Fr. Moraga, Calif. / Campolindo 2 Jack Greenwood G 5-11 160 Jr./So. San Rafael, Calif. / Marin Catholic 3 Nick Tripaldi G 6-0 155 Jr./So. Menlo Park, Calif. / Menlo Atherton 4

Donovan Johnson G 6-0 160 Fr./Fr. Antelope, Calif. / Antelope 5

Mikey Hinkle G 6-2 180 Sr./Jr. Camarillo, Calif. / St. Bonaventure 10 Carson Bonine G 6-2 180 Sr./Jr. Camas, Wash. / Camas 11 Trey Bryant G 6-0 170 So./So. Springfield, Ore. / Springfield 12

Jackson Dupree G 6-3 180 Jr./So. San Jose, Calif. / Bellarmine Prep 13

Braedyn Benhard F 6-7 215 Fr./Fr. Santa Ana, Calif. / Foothill 14

JT Estes G 5-9 170 Jr./So. Walnut Creek, Calif. / Las Lomas 15 Josh Puccinelli G 6-2 185 So./So. San Francisco, Calif. / Stuart Hall 21 Jacob Hjort G 6-2 190 Jr./Jr. Vancouver, Wash. / Whitworth University

22 Milap Owens G 5-11 170 So./So. Prescott, Ariz. / Prescott

23 Reece Gibb F 6-5 210 Sr./Jr. Longview, Wash. / Mark Morris

24 Cayden Lowenbach F 6-6 205 So./So. Prineville, Ore. / Crook County

25 Philip Rosenfeld F 6-6 190 Fr./Fr. Portland, Ore. / Beaverton

30 TreyVaughn Bierlink G 6-5 160 Fr./Fr. Quincy, Wash. / Quincy

31 Jack Stallard G 5-11 185 Jr./So. Danville, Calif. / Monte Vista

32 Alex Jaczko F 6-5 205 Sr./Jr. Newberg, Ore. / Newberg

35 Danilo Petrovic F 6-5 190 Fr./Fr. Seattle, Wash. / Roosevelt

40 Grant Lyon G 6-2 180 Fr./Fr. San Francisco, Calif. / University

42 Anthony Flint G 6-5 175 Fr./Fr. Durango, Colo. / Durango

44 Logan Morrill F 6-9 230 Fr./Fr. Astoria, Ore. / Knappa

HEAD COACH: Shanan Rosenberg (10th year)

ASSISTANT COACHES: Isiah Quintero, Mark Swenson, R. Loren Gehrke

NO. NAME

PACIFIC LUTHERAN MEN

POS. HT. WT. YR. HOMETOWN / PREVIOUS SCHOOL

0 Shane McGaughey-Fick G 6-0 180 So. Lynnwood, Wash. / King’s

1 Dirk Plakinger

G/F 6-4 205 Fr. Chehalis, Wash. / W.F. West

2 Tomi Stevens G/F 6-4 200 Fr. Phoenix, Ariz. / Skyline Prep

3 Peyton Peterson G/F 6-4 185 Jr. Tumwater, Wash. / Tumwater

4 Jamal Wingfield G 6-3 180 So. Puyallup, Wash. / Graham Kapowsin

5 Jordan Thomas G 6-5 195 Sr. Chehalis, Wash. / W.F. West

10 Sean McCurdy F 6-5 210 Sr. Spanaway, Wash. / Bethel

11 Jackson Reisner G/F 6-3 200 Jr. Burlington, Wash. / Burlington-Edison

12

Trey Garey G 6-2 175 Sr. Kimberly, Idaho / Kimberly

13 Liam Johnston G/F 6-6 205 So. Mount Vernon, Wash. / Mount Vernon

14 Jack Williams F 6-7 205 So. North Bend, Wash. / Mt. Si

15 Marshall Allen G 6-3 185 Fr. Tillamook, Ore. / Tillamook

20 Cal Wing G 6-3 175 So. Littleton, Colo. / Heritage

21 JT Fenz G 6-2 180 Fr. Ellensburg, Wash. / Ellensburg

22 Mack Hepper G 6-3 175 Fr. Stanwood, Wash. / Stanwood

23 Croix Sweeney G 6-4 200 Fr. Phoenix, Ariz. / Horizon

24 Sam Noland G 6-1 175 Jr. Tualatin, Ore. / Tualatin

30 Neri Tor G 6-0 175 So. Sammamish, Wash. / Skyline

32 Emeri Palacio F 6-6 195 Jr. Fort Collins, Colo. / Fort Collins

33 Brandin Riedel F/C 6-7 210 Jr. Olympia, Wash. / Capital

34 Drew Kraft F 6-4 180 So. Silverdale, Wash. / Klahowya

35 Ben Kraska G/F 6-3 190 So. Fairbanks, Alaska / Lathrop

HEAD COACH: Chad Murray (sixth year)

ASSISTANT COACHES: Alex Schilter, Mike Hayward