Men's Basketball Release
12/2 - GEORGE FOX 79, WHITWORTH 69: Bruins Rally Big to Win NWC Opener over Pirates in OT
NEWBERG, Ore. - Down by 20 in the first half, 21 in the second half, and 10 with less than five minutes left, the George Fox University Bruins staged a furious last-ditch rally to tie and then win in overtime 77-69 over the Whitworth College Pirates in the Northwest Conference men's basketball lid-lifter for both teams Friday night here at the Wheeler Sports Center's Miller Gym.
With George Tucker scoring two baskets and a free throw to lead the way, the Pirates opened the game with an 11-0 run and appeared headed to a huge win as the Bruins were stone-cold in the first half. Bryan Williams had 9 first-half points to pace the Pirates and hit a jumper to give the visitors a 31-11 lead with 5:12 left in the period.
Whitworth hit .552 (16-29) in the first half to a meager .250 (7-28) for the Bruins. Scott Szalay kept the home team in the game with a double-double in the first half alone, pulling down 11 rebounds while scoring 11 points on 5-7 shooting. The rest of the Bruins were 2-21 in the half, which ended with the Pirates ahead 38-21.
The Pirates maintained a comfortable margin for most of the second half, upping their lead to 21 at 46-25 with 16:51 to play on a jumper by Lance Pecht. The Bruins' outside shooters began to find the range late in the second half, however, and whittled away at the lead, finally getting within single digits at 57-48 on a three-pointer by Phil Heu-Weller with 6:44 to play.
Williams' free throw at 4:49 gave Whitworth its final double-digit lead at 60-50, and then the Bruins caught fire. A basket by Heu-Weller and a three-point play by Aaron Schmick cut the lead in half before Jon Young hit a pair of free throws to up the Pirates' lead to 62-55 with 2:01 to go. Heu-Weller was fouled on a three-point shot and made all three freebies, then after Young made one of two free throws, Schmick nailed a three from the corner to make it 63-61 with 49 seconds left. Pecht missed a jumper with 15 second left as the shot clock expired, giving the Bruins a chance to tie. Heu-Weller missed a baseline drive for the tie, but Szalay was there to tip in the rebound as the clock ran out, sending it to overtime.
Nate Mansfield's three from the corner gave the Bruins the lead 30 seconds into the overtime, and they would never relinquish it. Heu-Weller canned a pair of threes to keep the Bruins in front, and Schmick and Brent Satern sank five free throws in the final 30 seconds to ice the stunning comeback.
Heu-Weller led all scorers with 20 points, 18 in the second half and overtime, while Szalay posted his fourth double-double in as many games with 17 points and a career-high 19 boards. Schmick added 10 points, all after intermission. Satern passed out 4 assists. The George Fox shooting improved greatly in the second half to .484 (15-31).
Pecht and Young led the Pirates with 15 points each, while Tucker and Williams notched 10 apiece. Kevin Hasenfus pulled down 9 rebounds, and Williams had 3 assists. The Pirates' offense cooled off in the second half to .314 (11-35).
George Fox is now 3-1 overall and Whitworth is 2-2. The Bruins host Whitman College and the Pirates go to Linfield College Saturday, both games at 6:00 p.m. following women's games at 4:00 p.m.