11/25 - GEORGE FOX 87, WARNER PACIFIC 82: Double Double-Doubles and Triples Lift Bruins by Knights
NEWBERG, Ore. - Mark Gayman and Scott Szalay each posted double-doubles in points and rebounds and Bryan Wadlow hit three critical three-pointers in the second half, lifting the George Fox University Bruins to a come-from-behind 87-82 win over the Warner Pacific College Knights in men's basketball Tuesday night here in Miller Gym at the Wheeler Sports Center.
A 13-4 run lifted George Fox from a 12-11 deficit to a 24-16 lead midway through the first half, but the visiting Knights rallied behind the hot hand of Joe Hoover, who canned 6 of 7 shots and scored 17 first-half points, sparking Warner to a 47-41 halftime lead.
The Bruins battled back in the second half and regained the lead for good at 55-53 on a layup by Aaron Schmick with 15:48 left, but the Knights would not go away. Wadlow nailed his first triple with 10:47 left, upping a one-point Bruin lead to 62-58, hit again at 10:23 to make it 65-59, and then connected at 8:31 for a 71-63 margin. The Bruins built their largest lead at 80-68 with 5:36 left on two free throws by Schmick. Warner cut the lead to three twice in the final 80 seconds, but Gayman and Szalay hit big layups to keep the Knights at arms' length.
Gayman finished with 25 points and 13 rebounds for the Bruins, the 9th double-double of his career, while Szalay posted his first with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Schmick added 19 points and Wadlow totaled 10, while Ben Melvin handed out 7 assists.
Hoover had a game-high 27 for the Knights, with Wesley Powers adding 12, Lamar Tillman 11, and Kyle Wheeler 10. Wheeler had 8 rebounds and Nick Hudson passed out 3 assists. The Bruins shot 50.8% for the game (33-65), including 55.2% (16-29) in the second half, and made 80.0% (16-20) on free throws. The Knights were hot in the first half, hitting 53.1% (17-32), but cooled considerably in the second half, making only 29.0% (9-31). The Bruins held a significant edge on the boards, out-rebounding the Knights 47-29.
George Fox (1-1) is off until Friday, Dec. 5, when the Bruins take on Northwest Christian College in the Concordia University-Portland Tournament at 5:30 p.m. Warner Pacific (2-5) visits NCAA Division I Weber State University Friday, Nov. 28, at 7:05 p.m.