11/19 - NORTHWEST 63, GEORGE FOX 59: Clock Runs Out on Bruins' Comeback Bid in Loss to Eagles
NEWBERG, Ore. - Trailing by double digits most of the game and by 20 with nine minutes left, the George Fox University Bruins mounted a furious rally to get within four points before the clock ran out, falling 63-59 to the Northwest College Eagles in a non-conference men's basketball game Friday night here at the Wheeler Sports Center's Miller Gym.
George Fox led only once in the game at 4-3 on a layup by Scott Szalay, but Aaron Sawyer responded with a layup for two of his game-high 22 points to give the Eagles a lead they would not relinquish. A 10-0 run over a four-minute span late in the half put the visitors ahead 26-14, and they held a comfortable 32-18 lead at the break.
A three-pointer by Nate Lindseth gave Northwest its largest lead of 57-37 with 9:00 to play, but then the Bruins went to work. Sparked by Chris Parker's 9 points off the bench, the Bruins outscored the Eagles 22-6 the rest of the way, cutting the gap to the final margin on a pair of Parker free throws with 11 seconds left. Northwest scored no field goals in the final nine minutes, but hit 6 of 8 free throws in that span that enabled them to hang on for the victory.
Mark Gayman led the Bruins in their season opener with 17 points, Aaron Schmick scored 12, and Philip Heu-Weller contributed 11 off the bench. Szalay was the top rebounder with 6 as the Bruins held a slight 31-30 edge on the boards. Brent Satern passed out 5 assists.
For the Eagles, now 3-1 on the season, Grant Enloe added 10 points to Sawyer's total, Tyson Dodd was the leading rebounder with 8, and Patrick Hillis had 5 assists. The Eagles shot .523 (23-44) from the field and .867 (13-15) from the line, while the Bruins had a tough shooting night, hitting .396 (21-53) from the floor and .526 (10-19) from the stripe.
George Fox next faces California Lutheran University on Friday, Nov. 26, in the Surf's Up Invitational in Honolulu, Hawaii. Game time is 5:00 p.m. (3:00 p.m. in Hawaii) at Kalani High School. Northwest visits Pacific University in Forest Grove, Ore., Saturday at 7:30 p.m.