1/21 - GEORGE FOX 68, PUGET SOUND 66: Bruins Stun 5th-Ranked Loggers to Move into First-Place Tie
NEWBERG, Ore. - Aaron Schmick and Mark Gayman connected on back-to-back three-point plays around the six-minute mark to break a 56-56 tie, propelling the George Fox University Bruins to a 68-66 upset of the 5th-ranked University of Puget Sound Loggers and into a first-place tie in Northwest Conference men's basketball Friday night here at the Wheeler Sports Center's Miller Gym.
Schmick's layup and subsequent foul shot made it 59-56 George Fox with 6:24 to play, and after a pair of missed Puget Sound free throws, Gayman laid one in, was fouled, and sank the charity toss for a 62-56 advantage. The Bruins built their lead to nine at 66-57 with 4:41 to play on a rebound basket by Schmick, then had to hang on for dear life as the Loggers battled back within two at 66-64 with 1:47 left on a three-pointer by Chase Curtiss.
Trying to use up the clock, the Bruins instead had the ball stolen by Chris O'Donnell with 1:08 to play, and the Loggers missed three shots, including two three-point tries, before Scott Szalay corralled the ball for the Bruins with 18 seconds left and was fouled. He missed both free throws, but Brady Strutz grabbed a big rebound off the second one for the Bruins. Schmick then sank two free throws with 15 seconds left to offset Ryan DeLong's rebound basket with .8 left on the clock.
George Fox led throughout the first half, with one tie, but never by more than six points. The Loggers scored the first six points of the second half to take their first lead of the game at 36-35 on a layup by Aubrey Shelton at the 17:36 mark. There were four lead changes over the next five minutes before Puget Sound took its biggest lead of six points at 52-46 on a pair of Jeremy Cross free throws with 9:42 to play. After six straight points brought the Bruins back to a 52-52 tie on Schmick's layup at 8:52, DeLong's jumper with 7:19 to play gave UPS its final lead of 56-54. Gayman made a layup at 6:48 to tie it again, setting the stage for the final drama.
Schmick led all scorers with 21 points for the Bruins, and Gayman tallied 18 along with a game-high 13 rebounds, his 19th career double-double and 4th of the season. The Bruins owned the boards 50-36, and the defense held the Loggers to a .313 shooting percentage (21-67) and a season-low 66 points, well below their normal 101-point pace that is the 5th-highest rate in the nation.
Cross finished with 15 to lead the Loggers, Zack McVey added 11, and Josh Walker scored 10. O'Donnell was Puget Sound's rebound leader with 10.
George Fox improved to 9-5 overall and 4-1 in the conference, snapping a nine-game losing streak to the Loggers in the process. The Bruins' nine wins is the most in a season for fifth-year coach Mark Sundquist. Puget Sound, last year's NWC champion and a heavy favorite to win again this year, slipped to 10-3 overall and 4-1 in the league.
The Bruins host Pacific Lutheran University, another much-improved team fighting for a share of first place, Saturday at 8:00 p.m., following the women's game at 6:00 p.m. The Loggers go to Linfield College Saturday, also at 8:00 p.m. following the women at 6:00 p.m.