1/16 - LEWIS & CLARK 73, GEORGE FOX 67: Pioneers Survive Bruin Scare Behind Three-Point Barrage
PORTLAND, Ore. - Putting a major scare into Northwest Conference perennial power Lewis & Clark College, the visiting George Fox University Bruins led the powerful Pioneers with less than four minutes to play before the home team squeezed out a hard-fought 73-67 victory in men's basketball action Friday night here at the Pamplin Sports Center.
George Fox led throughout the game's first 5 minutes before the Pioneers took a 16-13 lead on a three-pointer by John Mietus, and they held the advantage to the end of the period. The lead ballooned to as much as 16 at 41-25 with 5:26 to go before the Bruins rallied behind Scott Szalay and Mark Gayman, who combined for 27 of the Bruins' 38 points in the period. Szalay had 14 points on 7-9 shooting and grabbed 7 rebounds, while Gayman parlayed a 6-6 showing at the free throw line into 13 points.
Giving the Pios a 46-38 halftime edge were 8 three-pointers in the half, including 3 by Danny Winchester, who had 14 points, while Mietus, the conference's leading scorer, had 10 in the half. The Pios made 8-19 from three-point range but only 8-20 from two-point range in the period.
Another trey by Winchester gave the Pios their largest lead of the second half at 56-45 with 16:18 to go, but the Bruins again bounced back and actually regained the lead 66-65 on a three by Aaron Schmick with 4:07 left. Ryan Wells answered with a corresponding three at the 3:47 mark to make it 68-66 for the Pioneers, Mietus hit two free throws at 3:01 to make it 70-66, and Brett Yeager's free throw for the Bruins cut it to 70-67 with 2:20 left.
The Bruins had a chance to tie the game with a minute left, but were victimized by the fact that the gym's shot clock had malfunctioned with five minutes left in the game, forcing the officials to use a stop watch and the PA system to inform teams of the time left to shoot. However, the Bruins did not hear the announcement while playing for a game-tying shot and were called for a shot-clock violation with 49 seconds left. Danny Winchester's two free throws with 19 seconds left and one by Tommy Magnuson with 9 second left clinched it.
Szalay and Gayman each finished with 19 points for the Bruins, while Gayman made it a double-double by adding a game-high 11 rebounds. The Bruins, as they have in all four of their conference games, out-rebounded their opponents, this time 44-38. Ben Melvin had a game-high 4 assists. The Bruins held Lewis & Clark to a 34.8 shooting percentage (23-66) and made more field goals (25-23) than the Pioneers, but were hurt by the Pios' 13 three-pointers and 13 turnovers to only 7 for the hosts.
Winchester finished with 27 points, including 6 from long range, and Mietus had a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds, though he was held to just 6-20 shooting from the field. Wells added 11 points.
The Bruins dipped to 3-9 overall and 0-4 in the conference while suffering their 6th straight loss. The Pioneers improved to 9-3 overall and 2-1in the league.
George Fox goes to McMinnville Saturday night to play Yamhill County rival Linfield College, while Lewis & Clark visits Willamette University in Salem Saturday. Both Northwest Conference games begin at 8:00 p.m., following women's games at 6:00 p.m.