Press Release
2/3 - PUGET SOUND 97, GEORGE FOX 76: Loggers Run Away from Bruins to Increase League Lead
NEWBERG, Ore. - Pre-season All-American Zack McVey posted a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds, and threw in 5 blocked shots as a bonus, leading the 13th-ranked University of Puget Sound Loggers to a 97-76 win over the George Fox University Bruins in a Northwest Conference men's basketball game Friday night here at the Wheeler Sports Center's Miller Gym.
The Loggers' fifth straight victory, coupled with Whitworth College's 76-61 win at Willamette University, enabled Puget Sound to take a game-and-a-half lead in the conference over second-place Willamette. UPS improved to 17-3 overall and 11-1 in the league, while George Fox fell to 12-8 overall and 5-6 in the NWC.
It was the Bruins who came out with guns blazing to start the game, as a Ben Melvin layup and a three-pointer by Phil Heu-Weller put the home team ahead 5-0 one minute in. McVey's layup with 17:52 on the clock got the Loggers on the board, but Heu-Weller responded with another basket for a 7-2 Bruin lead. Two free throws by McVey and a three by Chase Curtiss knotted the game 7-7 with 16:28 left, and the teams battled back and forth over the next four minutes before Weston Wood's layup with 11:59 to go broke a 17-17 tie and gave Puget Sound a lead it would not relinquish.
Scorching the nets at a 65.5% clip (19-29) in the first half, the Loggers stretched their lead to as much as 20 in the first half with a 28-8 run that made it 45-25 with 6:19 to go. The Bruins went on a 7-1 run over the last three minutes of the half to cut the deficit to 11 at 56-45 at the break, and got within 10 at 62-52 with 16:28 left in the game on a free throw by Scott Szalay, but the Loggers never had less than a double-digit lead the rest of the game. The largest gap was 25 at 97-72 on a free throw by Jason Foster with 1:25 to play.
Heu-Weller and Aaron Schmick scored 19 points apiece to pace the Bruins, and Szalay added 16. Schmick was 10-10 from the charity stripe, extending his streak of consecutive free throws made to 48, eight short of the GFU record of 56 by Gary Chenault in 1978-79. Szalay had 7 rebounds. The Bruins connected on 56.0% (14-25) from the field in the first half, but tailed off badly to 26.7% (8-30) in the second.
In addition to McVey's huge night, Curtiss scored 19, Ryan DeLong had 16, Josh Walker scored 11, and Antwan Williams added 10, making 8-8 from the line. The Loggers dropped off to 43.8% (7-16) shooting in the second half, but more than made up for it by hitting 26-33 free throws in the half and 35-49 for the game (the Bruins were 30-40 from the line as 63 fouls were whistled in the game).
George Fox hosts Pacific University Saturday at 8 p.m. in its Homecoming game, while Puget Sound returns to action next Friday at Whitworth College, also at 8 p.m. Both games will be preceded by NWC women's games at 6 p.m.