Press Release
2/9 - WILLAMETTE 84, GEORGE FOX 79: Free Throws the Difference as Bearcats Hold Off Bruins
SALEM, Ore. - Dead even in field goals (27) and three-pointers (10), it was free throws that made the difference as the Willamette University Bearcats, behind a record-tying 12-12 performance from the line by Rob Andrus, hung on to defeat the George Fox University Bruins 84-79 in a Northwest Conference men's basketball game Friday night here at the Cone Fieldhouse.
George Fox held early leads of 5-0 and 7-3 before the teams were tied twice and exchanged the lead seven times. Later in the half, Willamette led by as many as 11 points when two free throws by Andrus gave the Bearcats a 35-24 margin with 3:47 on the clock. The Bruins cut the lead to seven points, 39-32, at the break.
The Bearcats remained in front for the first eight minutes of the second half, but George Fox took a 50-49 lead on a three-pointer by Brent Satern with 11:31 remaining. C.J. Stuvland countered with a three for Willamette 18 seconds later, then the Bruins' Taylor Martin sank a jumper with 10:50 left to tie the game for the final time at 52-52. Kyler McClary gave Willamette the lead for good, 54-52, with a jump shot at the 10:36 mark.
Willamette raised its lead to 11 points at 75-64 on a basket by Dan Nugent at the 2:26 mark, but the Bruins scored nine of the next 11 points on three-pointers by Brady Strutz, Phil Heu-Weller, and Mark Metzler, cutting the deficit to 77-73 with 1:19 left. Andrus sank two free throws with 57 seconds remaining, and McClary added one charity shot with 38 seconds to go, as Willamette increased its advantage to 80-73. Satern made the second of two free throws with 31 seconds left to pull the Bruins within six points, but Willamette made two more free throws and a layup the rest of the way to hold off the Bruins. Satern scored the game's final basket on a three-pointer with one second remaining.
George Fox was led by Satern, who scored 21 points on 7-12 shooting, including a trio of threes. Chris Parker contributed 18 points, Brady Strutz tacked on 14, and Heu-Weller provided 11. Parker had a team-high five rebounds, while Satern and Strutz each handed out four assists.
Andrus led all scorers with 27 points, with his 12-12 showing at the line tying the Willamette record for most free throws in a game without a miss, first set by Russ Sovde vs. Pacific University on Jan. 16, 1990. Stuvland added 18 points, hitting 5-6 from three-point range, McClary had 14, and Nugent scored 12. The Bearcats were 20-23 (.870) from the line as opposed to the Bruins' 15-23 (.652), and also held a 37-28 advantage on the boards, led by Ian Mansfield's game-high 11 rebounds. Nugent had five assists.
The loss leveled the Bruins' overall record at 11-11 and dropped them to 6-7 in the conference. The Bearcats climbed to 10-12 overall and 6-7 in the NWC, creating a three-way tie, along with Pacific, for fourth place in the league standings. However, with the three teams ahead of them - Whitworth College, Lewis & Clark College, and the University of Puget Sound - having only three losses each, none of the fourth-place teams can catch that trio for a spot in the three-team NWC Tournament.
George Fox plays its final three regular-season games at home, starting Saturday with Pacific at 8 p.m. Willamette, which has concluded its home season, visits Linfield College Saturday, also at 8 p.m. Both games will follow women's NWC games at 6 p.m.