Men's Basketball Release
12/20 - LA VERNE 84, GEORGE FOX 75: Bruins Rally From 19 Down but Lose in End to Leopards
CLAREMONT, Calif. - Battling back from a 19-point deficit in the first half, the George Fox University Bruins finally tied the game 70-70 but then scored only five points in the last five minutes, resulting in an 84-75 loss to the University of La Verne Leopards in a non-conference men's basketball game played Tuesday night here at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges due to ongoing renovations in La Verne's gym.
Scott Szalay scored the Bruins' first six points on three baskets to keep his team close at 8-6 in the early going, but the Bruins scored only two points over the next six minutes. The Leopards, meanwhile, took control with a 19-2 run to forge ahead 27-8 with 9:35 left in the half. Jason Greenlee's 17 points in the period led the Leopards to a 44-32 halftime lead.
The Bruins fought back behind 11 second-half points by Aaron Schmick and 8 by Chris Parker off the bench, finally knotting the game 70-70 on a three-pointer by Schmick with 5:29 to play. Greenlee broke the tie with a free throw with 4:43 left, however, igniting a 9-0 run over the next three minutes that secured the victory for the California team.
Schmick totaled 22 points to lead the Bruins, Ben Melvin added 18, Szalay 12, and Parker 10. Schmick passed out a career-high 12 assists and had 3 steals. Szalay and Brent Satern topped the Bruins on the boards with 6 rebounds apiece. As a team, George Fox made 29 field goals in the game to 28 for La Verne and 9 three-pointers to 6, but the Leopards made up the difference at the free throw line, hitting 22-31 to only 8-13 for the Bruins.
Greenlee led all scorers with 34 points, 17 in each half, and Tyrone Marshall added 11. Lanier Brown handed out 4 assists. Bryan Mallon's 9 rebounds paced the Leopards to a 36-28 advantage on the glass.
George Fox saw its six-game winning streak snapped in slipping to 7-2 on the season, while La Verne evened its slate at 3-3. The Bruins conclude their three-game California trip Thursday at Chapman University in Orange at 7:00 p.m. The Leopards are off until Thursday, Dec. 29, when they visit Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, Calif., at 7:30 p.m.