2/4 - GEORGE FOX 79, WHITMAN 75: Bruins Earn Winning Season with Late Win over Missionaries
NEWBERG, Ore. - Guaranteeing themselves their first winning season in six years, the George Fox University Bruins pulled out a 79-75 win over the Whitman College Missionaries in the final minute in a Northwest Conference men's basketball game Friday night here at the Wheeler Sports Center's Miller Gym.
George Fox improved to 13-5 overall with its fifth straight win and to 8-1 in the conference, remaining deadlocked atop the league standings with the University of Puget Sound, an 84-71 winner over Lewis & Clark College. With seven games left, the Bruins are thus assured of their first winning record since the 1998-99 team went 13-12. Their league record also ties the best start in Northwest Conference play by a Bruin team, equaling the 8-1 mark of the 1997-98 team. Whitman fell to 4-14 overall and 2-7 in the league.
Down 12-6 almost six minutes into the game, the Bruins caught fire behind three straight three-pointers from Aaron Schmick which started a 13-2 run over the next three minutes and gave them a 19-14 lead. The Bruins eventually stretched their lead to 11 at 45-34 on another trey from Schmick with 2:21 to go in the half. Schmick had 15 points, all on threes, and Mark Gayman had 12 in the half as the Bruins led 49-43 at the break. Matt Kelly scored 15 to keep the Missionaries close.
Erik Kofler and Kyle Born teamed up for all the Whitman points as the Missionaries opened the second half with a 10-2 run to take a 53-51 lead with 16:40 to play, but a 9-0 Bruin spurt put the home team back up 60-53 with 13:34 left. The Missionaries stayed close and finally tied it again 66-66 on a fast-break layup by Born with 6:40 to play. The lead was then bandied back and forth until the Bruins took charge in the final minute.
Ben Melvin's layup with 51 seconds left gave the Bruins a 75-74 lead, but Greg Ricker hit a free throw with 44 seconds to go for a 75-75 tie. Schmick then canned two winning free throws with 24 seconds remaining for a 77-75 Bruin lead, and when Kelly missed a potential go-ahead three with 5 seconds left, Gayman grabbed the rebound and sank two clinching free tosses.
Gayman finished with game highs of 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Bruins, his 21st career double-double and 6th this season. Schmick had 17 points, only two in the second half, but they were the winning ones, and passed out 4 assists. The Bruins held a 31-29 edge on the boards.
Kelly scored 21 to pace the Missionaries, while Kofler added 17 and Born 14. Born was the team's top rebounder with 9, and Ricker handed out 7 assists.
The Bruins host Whitworth College and the Missionaries go to Linfield College Saturday, both games at 8:00 p.m. following women's games at 6:00 p.m.