Press Release
Overall 6-13: Home 2-4, Road 3-6, Neutral 1-3
NWC 2-8, 8th: Home 0-3, Road 2-5
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HIGHLIGHTS:
* Recent Games: Bruins Upset 7th-Ranked UPS for Tacoma Split
* Coming Up: Homecoming Weekend vs. Willamette, Linfield
* Atwater BAA Athlete of the Week, HM for NWC Honors
* Bruins Survive "Freaky Friday" on Tacoma Trip
* Bruins' Win at UPS 4th Win over Ranked Teams in 4 Years
* NCAA Stats: Satern Listed in Assists, Atwater in 3-Pointers
* NWC Stats: Satern Regains League Lead in Assists
* Career Lists: Satern Nears 1,000 Points, 7th Place in Assists
* The Wirta Watch: "Biggs" Adds Two More Games to Streaks
RECENT GAMES: 1-1 (click on links for press releases and box scores)
Feb. 1 - at Pacific Lutheran 79, George Fox 76, OT
Feb. 2 - George Fox 78, at #7 Puget Sound 77
COMING UP: Homecoming Weekend vs. Willamette, Linfield
Fri., Feb. 8, 8:00 p.m. - vs. Willamette University, in Newberg, Ore.
Sat., Feb. 9, 8:00 p.m. - vs. Linfield College, in Newberg, Ore. (Homecoming)
Willamette (8-11, NWC 5-4, 5th) - KFOX radio webcast ... Northwest Conference game ... The Bearcats from Salem, Ore., were picked 6th in the NWC pre-season coaches poll, the Bruins 7th ... Series record: George Fox trails 30-42 since 1967 (18-12 home, 12-30 road) ... The Bearcats have won the last two meetings, including a 73-71 overtime win in Salem this season on Jan. 11 â?¦ The Bruins' last win in the series was 72-52 in Newberg on Jan. 12, 2007 â?¦ Willamette has won its last two games, including an 82-74 road upset of NWC co-leader Whitworth on Feb. 2 â?¦ Willamette averages 73.7 ppg (6th in the NWC) and allows 76.3 (5th) ... Willamette is 11th nationally in 3-pt pct. (.414, 1st in the NWC), 55th nationally in field goal pct. (.475, 2nd in the NWC) â?¦ The Bearcats have three players in double-figure scoring: W Mike Smith (16.9, 7th), P Kyler McClary (16.5, 8th), and P Cameron Mitchell (10.3, 27th) â?¦ Smith is 5th nationally in 3-pt pct.(.515), 69th in field goals (2.7), and 70th in free throw pct. (.842) â?¦ Mitchell is the top rebounder (8.0, 3rd) ... PG Robbie Kunke is the assists leader (5.05, 5th, 37th nationally) ... Coach Gordie James (Cal Poly-Pomona '64) is 342-215 to date in his 22nd season at Willamette ... Next game: Feb. 9 vs. Pacific Lutheran, 8 p.m. ...
Linfield (11-8, NWC 6-4, 3rd T) - KFOX radio webcast ... Northwest Conference game ... The Wildcats from McMinnville, Ore., were picked 8th in the NWC pre-season coaches poll, the Bruins 7th ... Series record: George Fox leads 39-38 since 1971 (21-15 home, 18-22 road, 0-1 neutral) ... The Wildcats won the first meeting this season 68-65 in McMinnville on Jan. 12 â?¦ The Bruins' last win in the series was 65-64 in McMinnville on Jan. 23, 2007 ... Linfield is coming off an 83-76 win at Whitman on Feb. 2 â?¦ Linfield averages 79.1 ppg (3rd in the NWC, 51st nationally) while allowing 79.3 (6th) ... Linfield is 23rd nationally in 3-pt field goals (8.00) and 66th in 3-pt field goal pct. (.380) ... The Wildcats have four double-figure scorers: C K.C. Wiser (14.1, 13th), G Steve Taylor (14.1, 14th), G Brian Murphy (10.5, 26th), and F Erik Olson (10.1, 28th) ... Wiser is the top rebounder (6.7, 5th) ... Taylor is the assists leader (2.84, 10th) ... Coach Larry Doty (Linfield '78) is 285-260 to date in his 21st season at Linfield ... The Wildcats host Puget Sound Friday before meeting the Bruins ... Next game: Feb. 12 at Willamette, 8 p.m. ...
Click here for the latest NWC Standings.
COACH MARK SUNDQUIST
Mark Sundquist (Seattle Pacific '89) is 79-114 (.409) in his eighth season as a college head coach, all at George Fox. He was the NWC Coach of the Year in 2004-05 for leading the Bruins to an 18-7 record and 2nd place in the conference. Click here for the complete bio on Coach Sundquist.
Sundquist vs. upcoming opponents
Willamette - 2-13 (2-5 home, 0-8 road)
Linfield - 5-11 (3-4 home, 2-6 road, 0-1 neutral)
BRUIN BITS:
* Atwater BAA Athlete of the Week, HM for NWC Honors
Sophomore wing Evan Atwatern has been named the Bruin Athletic Association Men's Athlete of the Week for the fourth time and received honorable mention for Northwest Conference Men's Player of the Week for Jan. 28-Feb.3 with two 20-point games in the Bruins' 1-1 week against NWC opponents. In a 79-76 overtime loss at Pacific Lutheran on Feb. 1, he scored 20 points on 8-19 from the field, including 3-10 on threes, and 1-2 from the line, with 6 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal. In a 78-77 upset at 7th-ranked Puget Sound on Feb. 2, he scored a career-high 27 points on 8-11 from the field, including 3-4 on threes, and 8-8 from the line, with 6 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal. For the week, he scored 47 points (23.5) on 16-30 field goals (.533), including 6-14 (.429) on threes, and 9-10 free throws (.900), with 12 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals. Atwater ranks 5th in the NWC in free throw pct. (.833), 3-point field goals (2.74), 10th in scoring (15.2, T), 11th in 3-pt field goal pct. (.388), and 18th in rebounding (4.6), and is 63rd nationally in 3-pt field goals â?¦
* 2007-08 Honors:
Evan Atwater
- Bruin Athletic Association Men's Athlete of the Week (Nov. 12-18; Dec. 3-9; Jan. 14-20; Jan. 28-Feb. 3)
- NWC Player of the Week (HM, Nov. 12-18; HM, Dec. 3-9; HM, Jan. 14-20; HM, Jan. 28-Feb. 3)
Mark Metzler
- Bruin Athletic Association Men's Athlete of the Week (Nov. 19-25)
- NWC Player of the Week (HM, Nov. 19-25)
Brent Satern
- Bruin Athletic Association Men's Athlete of the Week (Dec. 17-23; Dec. 24-30; Dec. 31-Jan. 6; Jan. 7-13; Jan. 21-27)
- NWC Player of the Week (HM, Dec. 17-26; HM, Dec. 27-Jan. 6; HM, Jan. 7-13; HM, Jan. 21-27)
* Bruins Survive "Freaky Friday" on Tacoma Trip
It was a day of bizarre twists on Friday, Feb. 1, when the Bruins traveled to Tacoma, Wash., to take on the Pacific Lutheran Lutes in a Northwest Conference doubleheader. First, a massive traffic jam that backed up Interstate 5 for 15 miles past Olympia, some 45 miles southwest of Tacoma, delayed KFOX radio broadcasters Justin Sweeney and Nick Metz so long that they did not arrive at PLU's Olson Auditorium until the start of the national anthem for the women's game. The student radio men assembled their equipment in record time and missed only the first five minutes of the game.
Second, the Bruins lost starting forward Taylor Martin for most of the men's game when he was ambushed by a hallway door as the Bruins left their classroom in Olson to take the court for the pre-game warmup. Martin was leading the charge from the room and looked back at his teammates just as the GFU women's team was concluding its post-game meeting in the room next door. The door swung open, and the subsequent collision resulted in several cuts on Martin's face, which team trainers patched as best they could. He played briefly in the second half, went home after the game to Silverton, Ore., to take 13 stitches in his face, and was back in the starting lineup Saturday for the Bruins' upset of 7th-ranked Puget Sound.
To conclude the strange evening, Bruin center Bryan O'Connell was fouled hard while attempting a layup during the game and the ball was slammed up into the shot clock above the backboard, where it ripped the clock's electric cord cleanly out of its socket. The game was delayed for several minutes while a ladder was found and the clock re-connected.
* Bruins' Win at UPS 4th Win over Ranked Teams in 4 Years
When George Fox stunned the Puget Sound Loggers, ranked 7th in the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com, 78-77 in Tacoma, Wash., on Feb. 2, it became the fourth win in four years by the Bruins over nationally-ranked teams. On Jan. 21, 2005, the Bruins knocked off 5th-ranked Puget Sound in Newberg 68-66, a win that boosted GFU into a first-place tie in the Northwest Conference at the time. During the 2006-07 season, the Bruins defeated two ranked teams. The first was Holy Names University, ranked 9th in the NAIA Division II pre-season poll, an 85-65 victory on Nov. 18, 2006, in Newberg. Later that season, on Jan. 27, 2007, in Newberg, the Bruins out-scored 13th-ranked Puget Sound 34-5 over the last 17 minutes to win 75-63.
* NCAA Stats: Satern Listed in Assists, Atwater in 3-Pointers
In the latest NCAA Division III national statistics report (including games thru Jan. 27), Brent Satern is 13th in assists (6.1) and 44th in assist/turnover ratio (2.07) ... Evan Atwater is 63rd in 3-pt field goals (2.7) â?¦
* NWC Stats: Satern Regains League Lead in Assists
Where the Bruins rank in the latest Northwest Conference stats (thru Feb. 5):
Scoring Offense - 8th (66.8)
Scoring Defense - 2nd (69.9)
Scoring Margin - 7th (-3.1)
Field Goal Pct. - 9th (.419)
Field Goal Pct. Defense - 3rd (.442)
3-Pt Field Goals - 8th (6.53)
3-Pt Field Goal Pct. - 9th (.314)
3-Pt Field Goal Pct. Defense - 2nd (.306)
Free Throw Pct. - 9th (.641)
Rebounding Offense - 8th (33.9)
Rebounding Defense - 6th (36.2)
Rebounding Margin - 7th (-2.2)
Assists - 5th (14.11)
Blocked Shots - 9th (1.42)
Steals - 4th (6.84)
Turnover Margin - 4th (+0.37)
Assist/Turnover Ratio - 5th (0.95)
- Brent Satern is 1st in assists (6.11), 3rd in assist/TO ratio (2.07), 4th in steals (1.74), 10th in scoring (15.2, T) ...
- Evan Atwater is 5th in free throw pct. (.833), 3-point field goals (2.74), 10th in scoring (15.2, T), 11th in 3-pt field goal pct. (.388), 18th in rebounding (4.6) ...
- Mark Metzler is 7th in blocked shots (0.53), 12th in steals (1.16, T), 15th in rebounding (5.0) ...
- Travis Toedtemeier is 19th in rebounding (4.2) â?¦
Click here for the latest NWC Statistics.
* Double-Doubles
- Brent Satern - career 3, season 1: 14 pts/11 ast vs. Corban, 12/4
- Evan Atwater - career 1, season 1: 20 pts/11 reb at Whitman, 1/25
* Career Lists: Satern Nears 1,000 Points, 7th Place in Assists
- Brent Satern had 8 assists in the Bruins' two NWC games last week, giving him 116 for the season and 454 got his career, 7th on the GFU all-time list. Ahead is Brent Peterson (462, 1985-89) ... He scored 32 points in the two games, giving him 926 career points. He needs 74 in the final 6 games to become the 33rd player in Bruin history to reach 1,000 ...
* The Wirta Watch: "Biggs" Adds Two More Games to Streaks
Mike "Biggs" Wirta, who has been charting basketball statistics for the George Fox men's team game since the 1970-71 season while he was an undergraduate student, hit a major milestone with the Bruins' second game vs. Colorado College in the Colorado College Tipoff Tournament on Nov. 16. It was the 1,027th game he had seen, which was exactly half of the 2,054 games that had been played in 104 years of Bruin basketball. With the Bruins' two NWC games this past week, he has now seen 50.4% of all Bruin games ever played (1,044 of 2,071). He stretched his streak of consecutive GFU men's basketball games seen, both home and road, to 632. He has worked 444 in a row at home, not missing a home game since 1972 when he was in military service.