Press Release
2/2 - WHITMAN 69, GEORGE FOX 59: Missionaries Deal Blow to Bruins' NWC Tournament Chances
WALLA WALLA, Wash. - Northwest Conference scoring and rebounding leader Kyle Born scored 20 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, pacing the Whitman College Missionaries to a 69-59 men's basketball win over George Fox University Friday night here at the Sherwood Center that dealt a damaging blow to the Bruins' hopes of making the three-team conference tournament.
The Bruins, who began the day in fourth place in the league standings one game out of third, fell to 11-9 overall and 6-5 in conference play. The last-place Missionaries picked up only their second league win of the season, improving to 6-14 overall and 2-9 in the NWC.
The teams battled on even terms throughout the first half, with seven lead changes in the first 13 minutes. The Bruins' largest lead was three points at 19-16 on a free throw by Brent Satern with 7:17 to go in the half. The Missionaries twice held six-point leads, the last at 29-23 on a three-pointer by Chris Faidley with four minutes to go, but the Bruins scored the final four points on layups by Chris Parker and Satern to cut the halftime margin to 29-27.
Whitman never trailed in the second half, although the Bruins managed to tie it up five times before the Missionaries took the lead for good. A jumper by Faidley broke a 39-39 tie with 12:30 to play, and Garth Brandal's two layups capped an 8-0 run that gave Whitman its first double-digit lead of 57-46 with 7:21 remaining. The Bruins fought back within three points when Satern nailed a trey to cut it to 57-54 with 3:42 left, but Faidley hit another three half a minute later, igniting a 12-5 stretch run by the Missionaries that sealed the win.
Satern led the Bruins with 19 points and Evan Atwater added 10 off the bench. Brady Strutz had a team-leading six rebounds, Matt Noble passed out three assists, and Satern led the defense with five steals. The offense had a tough night, hitting only .350 (21-60) from the field and .235 (4-17) from three-point range.
In addition to Born's big game, Faidley finished with 16 points and Aaron Hazel added 14, hitting a perfect 7-7 from the floor. Ian Warner had six assists and three steals. The Missionaries dominated the backboards 44-33 and shot .472 (25-53) from the field, including .389 (7-18) from beyond the arc.
The Bruins now visit 13th-ranked and league-leading Whitworth College in Spokane Saturday at 8 p.m. The Missionaries host Linfield College Saturday at 6 p.m. Both games follow NWC women's games which start two hours earlier.