1/8 - GEORGE FOX 89, WHITWORTH 78: Three-Point Shooting Record Carries Bruins Past Pirates
SPOKANE, Wash. - Shattering their team record for best 3-point field goal percentage in a game by hitting 12-13 from behind the long-range line, the George Fox University Bruins climbed to 2-0 in the Northwest Conference for the first time in six seasons with an 89-78 win over the Whitworth College Pirates in men's basketball action Saturday night here at the Whitworth Fieldhouse.
The Bruins made their first 8 3-point attempts in the first half before missing one, then hit 4-4 in the second half to finish with a .923 percentage. The Bruins' previous best was .778 (7-9) twice, vs. St. Martin's on Jan. 6, 1987, and Northwest Christian on Jan. 20, 1989. The mark is the best in the nation this year, topping the .800 (12-15) by Thomas College vs. Rivier College on Nov. 29, and may be a national record for best percentage with only one miss; the NCAA record book lists the best 3-point percentages as 1.000 (11-11) for 10 or more field goals, and .895 (17-19) for 15 or more.
The game did not get underway until Whitworth's Jon Young sank a pair of free throws after the Bruins received a technical foul for dunking the basketball during warm-ups. The Pirates then got a pair of free throws from Rob Simons with 00:00 on the clock after he was fouled as the first half expired. The charity tosses gave Whitworth a 45-44 halftime lead.
Whitworth extended the lead to 50-44 on George Tucker's basket just over two minutes into the second half, but then the Bruins caught fire. Ben Melvin's 3-point shot tied the game at 50-50, and with the game tied 57-57, the Bruins went on a 12-4 run to take control, beginning with another 3-pointer by Melvin. After the Pirates pulled within 77-73 on a basket by Bryan Williams with 3:02 to play, the Bruins outscored the Pirates 12-5 the rest of the way.
The Bruins had their best overall shooting night of the season as they hit .614 (27-44), including .650 (13-20) in the second half. Whitworth, after hitting .548 (17-31) in the first half, was held to only .371 (13-35) in the second.
Phillip Heu-Weller led the Bruins with a career-high 22 points, making 4-5 on threes, while Mark Gayman added 21 with one 3-pointer. Melvin finished with 17 points and Aaron Schmick added 13, both hitting 3-3 from behind the arc. Brent Satern also contributed a 3-point goal to the record. Scott Szalay led all players with 11 rebounds as the teams battled to a 34-34 standoff on the boards. Schmick had 5 assists.
Young scored 21 for Whitworth, sinking 5-10 on threes, but the rest of Young's teammates were only 4-16 from behind the line. Tucker came off the bench for 16 points and a team-high 5 rebounds, while Lance Pecht and Williams each had 10 points for the Bucs. Williams had a game-high 9 assists.
George Fox is now 6-4 overall and 2-0 in the conference, their best start in league play since the 1998-99 team won its first four. Whitworth, picked to finish 2nd in the NWC this year, dropped to 5-5 overall and 1-1 in the conference.
The Bruins play their final non-conference game of the year Tuesday when they visit Multnomah Bible College in Portland at 7:30 p.m. The Pirates visit 6th-ranked University of Puget Sound Friday at 8:00 p.m.