Men's Basketball Release
12/3 - GEORGE FOX 81, WHITMAN 68: Bruins Pull Away from Missionaries Late for 2nd NWC Win
NEWBERG, Ore. - Chris Parker came off the bench for a game-high 20 points and the George Fox University Bruins pulled away from the Whitman College Missionaries by hitting 11 of 14 free throws down the stretch for an 81-68 win in Northwest Conference men's basketball Saturday evening here at the Wheeler Sports Center's Miller Gym.
After spotting the Missionaries an early 10-4 lead, the Bruins bounced back with a 15-7 run and took a 19-17 lead on a three-pointer by Nate Mansfield with 11:06 left in the half. The home team would not trail again in the period and took a 42-38 lead into halftime, in large part due to the efforts of Parker, who replaced foul-plagued Scott Szalay. The Bruins' center, who had posted double-doubles in points and rebounds in each of the team's first four games, picked up two quick fouls and eventually finished with only 5 points and 5 boards in 17 minutes. Parker's 11 first-half points on 5-6 from the field plus a free throw more than picked up the slack.
The lead might have been larger had not the Missionaries' Ian Warner launched a shot from just across mid-court that banked into the net as the clock expired. With that momentum-shifter in mind, the Missionaries opened the second half with a 16-8 run, capped by a Chris Faidley jumper, that put them on top 54-50 with 13:55 left in the game. The Bruins battled back to tie and then take a 61-58 lead at 10:51 on a pair of threes by Phil Heu-Weller.
The game was knotted for the last time at 64-64 when Parker broke the tie for good with a layup with 7:10 to play. Two free throws by Parker and a driving layup by Brady Strutz made it 70-64 George Fox with 5:18 left, and the Missionaries resorted to fouling in the final five minutes. The Bruins foiled the strategy by making 11 of 14 while holding the Missionaries to 1-for-5 shooting and only two points on a pair of Faidley free throws in that span.
Parker's 20 points came on a 7-8 game from the field and 6-7 from the line, tying his career high. Heu-Weller and Ben Melvin added 13 apiece, while Aaron Schmick and Brent Satern each had 11. Satern handed out 9 assists. Schmick and Strutz grabbed 7 rebounds apiece.
Faidley also scored 20 points to pace the Missionaries, while Erik Kofler added 15 and a game-high 8 rebounds, and Matt Kelly scored 14. Warner and Greg Ricker had 3 assists each.
George Fox improved to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the conference, while Whitman slipped to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the league. The Bruins have a rematch Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at home with Corban College, which handed them their only loss of the season 108-100 on Nov. 22. The Missionaries visit Warner Pacific College in Portland next Saturday at 7:30 p.m.