Press Release
12/2 - PUGET SOUND 92, GEORGE FOX 79: No. 22 Loggers Have Enough Left to Defeat Bruins
TACOMA, Wash. - Coming off a triple-overtime win over Willamette University the night before, the 22nd-ranked University of Puget Sound Loggers showed few signs of fatigue as they outran the George Fox University Bruins 92-79 in a Northwest Conference men's basketball game Saturday night here at Memorial Fieldhouse.
After Chris Parker hit a jump hook for an early 2-0 George Fox lead, Taylor Marsh hit a pair of three-pointers around one by Ryan DeLong as Puget Sound jumped ahead 9-2 three-and-a-half minutes into the game. The Loggers stretched their lead to as much as 12 points three times in the half, the last at 37-25 on a basket by Jordan Thurston with 4:20 to go. Evan Atwater came off the bench to hit a pair of threes, sparking the Bruins on an 11-2 run to close the half that narrowed the deficit to 39-36 at the break. Both teams shot well in the half, the Bruins hitting .522 (12-23) and the Loggers .536 (15-28).
A jumper by Jason Foster and two more threes by DeLong to open the second half boosted the Logger lead back to 11 at 47-36, and the Bruins got no closer than eight the rest of the way, though the home team was never able to fully pull away. UPS took its largest lead of 17 points at 85-68 on a three-point play by Robert Krauel with 3:32 left.
Atwater, hitting a career high, and Brady Strutz topped the Bruins with 14 points, while Phil Heu-Weller added 10. Taylor Martin led the Bruins on the boards with six, and Strutz had four assists. The Bruins finished with a .509 shooting percentage (29-57), and the teams were even in rebounds with 33 each. The turnovers were nearly even as well, the Bruins committing 30 and the Loggers 24.
DeLong led a quartet of Loggers in double figures with 20 points, followed by Foster with 19, Marsh with 17, and Krauel with 11. Foster made it a double-double with 11 rebounds. Antwan Williams handed out seven assists. The Loggers sank .517 from the field on 30-58.
George Fox (4-2, NWC 1-1) goes to Northwest University Tuesday for a non-conference game at 7:30 p.m. Puget Sound (5-1, NWC 2-0) hosts Puget Sound Christian College Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.