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WHAT’S BRUIN: Men’s Basketball News & Notes 1/5
Links: Quick Facts / Roster / Schedule & Results / Statistics / Press Releases
Multimedia: Live Stats / Video / KFOX Radio
Overall Record: 3-8 (Home 0-2, Road 3-6)
NWC Record: 1-1, 3rd T (Home 0-0, Road 1-1)
HIGHLIGHTS:
* Coming Up: Bruins Back to NWC Play after Final Non-League Games
* Recent Games: Bruins Go 1-2 on Southern California Swing
* Whitehurst Wins BAA Award, HM for NWC Weekly Honors
* NCAA Stats: Wiseley Ranked 44th Among Leaders in Assists
* NWC Stats: Bruins Remain League Leaders in Blocked Shots
* Career Lists: Wiseley Slips Behind Chenault in All-Time FT Pct.
* Statistician “Biggs” Begins Journey Toward Next 100 Games
* Coming Up: Bruins Back to NWC Play after Final Non-League Games
- Fri., Jan. 7, 8:00 pm - at Lewis & Clark College (9-3, NWC 2-1), Portland, Ore.
- Sat., Jan. 8, 8:00 pm - vs. Pacific University (2-9, NWC 1-1), Newberg, Ore.
NEWBERG, Ore. – With one of their toughest non-conference schedules ever out of the way, the George Fox Bruins now turn their attention back to making some noise in the Northwest Conference portion of their season with a visit to the Lewis & Clark Pioneers Friday and their first NWC home game Saturday against the Pacific Boxers.
The Bruins, 3-8 overall, went 1-2 last week on their swing through southern California to end with a 2-7 record against non-league opponents. That slate included six games against scholarship-granting NAIA teams, one nationally-ranked NCAA Division III team, and their first game against a D-I team in 33 years.
A win at Willamette and a loss at Pacific Lutheran got the Bruins’ conference play under way before Christmas. Both NWC games this week tip off at 8:00 p.m., following NWC women’s games at 6:00 p.m.
Campus station KFOX will have live internet webcasts of both games this weekend (as well as the men’s games), while George Fox will provide live video and live stats of the home games vs. Pacific. Links for all the home multi-media events are provided above. For fans who can’t make it to the Lewis & Clark game, the Pioneers will provide live video on their website at http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/lclark.portal?mode=link#.
Lewis & Clark (9-3, NWC 2-1, 3rd): The Pioneers from Portland, Ore., were picked to finish 3rd in the NWC pre-season poll, the Bruins to tie for 4th ... The Pios have won their last three in a row, including a 74-66 win over Linfield Tuesday in which P.J. Taylor had 22 points, Kelly Edwards 20, and Marcus Wells 14 ... Series record (since 1965): George Fox trails 21-39 (11-15 home, 10-24 road) ... The Bruins won both meetings last year, 76-71 in Portland on Jan. 22 and 91-90 in overtime in Newberg on Feb. 19 ... The Pios’ last win in the series was 63-49 in Newberg on Feb. 6, 2009 ... Lewis & Clark by the numbers: Scoring (76.1, 5th in the NWC), Defense (68.7, 3rd), Rebounding (33.4, 9th), FG % (.425, 6th), 3-pt % (.376, 2nd), FT % (.771, 1st, 20th nationally) ... The Pios lead the NWC in 3-pt field goals (11.33, 3rd nationally) ... The Pios have two double-figure scorers: PG P.J. Taylor (16.7, 8th in the NWC), G James Hollins (16.0, 9th), and G Kelly Edwards (15.4, 12th) ... Taylor leads the NWC in 3-pt field goals (3.92, 10th nationally) and is 2nd in 3-pt pct. (.511, 6th nationally) and free throw pct. (.868) ... Hollins in the top rebounder (6.4, 11th) ... Edwards is the assists leader (3.17, 6th) ... F Kyle Meeuwsen is 2nd in the NWC in blocked shots (0.92) ... Coach Bob Gaillard is in his 22nd season at Lewis & Clark, and in his 30th season overall ... Next: Jan. 14 at Pacific Lutheran, 8 pm.
Pacific (2-9, NWC 1-1, 4th T): The Boxers from Forest Grove, Ore., were picked to finish 9th in the NWC pre-season poll, the Bruins to tie for 4th ... The Boxers have lost their last six in a row, including an 83-71 setback at Northwest Christian Tuesday in which LeMar Anglin had 23 points and 9 rebounds, Colin Wester scored 16, and Carson Bartlett added 14 ... Series record (since 1965): George Fox trails 38-43 (25-14 home, 13-29 road) ... The teams split last year, the Bruins winning 80-68 in Newberg on Jan. 4 and the Boxers winning 72-69 in Forest Grove on Jan. 26 ... Pacific by the numbers: Scoring (77.5, 4th in the NWC), Defense (83.7, 8th), Rebounding (36.8, 5th), FG % (.450, 5th), 3-pt % (.313, 5th), FT % (.676,7th) ... The Boxers have three double-figure scorers: F LeMar Anglin (20.0, 2nd in the NWC, 42nd nationally), G Adam McElwee (15.9, 10th), and F Carson Bartlett (12.9, 19th) ... McElwee is 6th in the NWC in 3-pt field goal pct. (.438) and 28th nationally ... Anglin is the top rebounder (8.3, 2nd) ... G Andrew Beatty is the assists leader (3.00, T) ... Coach Tim Cleary is 2-9 to date in his first season at Pacific ... The Boxers host Willamette Friday before meeting the Bruins ... Next: Jan. 14 vs. Linfield, 8 pm.
* Recent Games: Bruins Go 1-2 on Southern California Swing
Dec. 28 - George Fox 73, at La Sierra 72
Down by three without the ball and less than 10 seconds left, the Bruins got two critical steals and scores, including the game-winner on a putback by Rich Smith as time expired, to stun the Golden Eagles in Riverside, Calif. Cole Whitehurst led the way with his second consecutive double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds, while Stephen Wiseley and Smith had 15 points apiece and Mike Taylor added 12 points. Jon Adrian scored eight points while hitting all four of his shot attempts off the bench. Taylor and Smith had eight rebounds each, Wiseley handed out five assists and made three steals, and Taylor also had three swipes. The Bruins won despite hitting only 1-16 three-pointers and 12-27 free throws.
Dec. 29 - at La Verne 66, George Fox 40
A frigid first half of shooting put the Bruins in a hole from which they never recovered, resulting in a 66-40 loss to the Leopards in La Verne, Calif. The Leopards jumped ahead 14-5 by hitting six of their first eight shot attempts while the Bruins were connecting on only two of their first 12 tries. Although the Leopards cooled off after that, the Bruins could not take advantage as they hit only .262 (16-61) from the field in the game, including .059 (1-17) from three-point range, and were only .438 (7-16) from the stripe. Cole Whitehurst was the only Bruin in double figures with 14 points, though Mike Taylor just missed his first career double-double with nine points and 13 rebounds. Stephen Wiseley passed out four assists.
Dec. 31 - at Chapman 64, George Fox 60
Pushing 22nd-ranked Chapman to the limit, the Bruins came up just short in a 64-60 loss to the Panthers to conclude their three-game swing through southern California and the non-conference portion of their schedule. Although Chapman never trailed after breaking a 15-15 tie with eight minutes left in the first half, the Bruins stayed close and had a chance to tie or go ahead in the final 30 seconds, only to have the Panthers hit 4-4 from the line to hang on. Rich Smith led the Bruins with 17 points and 12 rebounds, his second double-double of the season and eighth of his career. Stephen Wiseley added 15 points and Mike Taylor scored 13. The Bruins stayed in the game by committing only six turnovers, one short of their team record for fewest turnovers of five against Whitman on Jan. 3, 2003.
BRUIN BITS:
* Whitehurst Wins BAA Award, HM for NWC Weekly Honors
Two good games before getting into foul trouble in the third and final game of their southern California trip has earned Bruins’ junior wing Cole Whitehurst of Portland, Ore., the Bruin Athletic Association Men’s Athlete of the Week for Dec. 23-Jan. 2, as well as honorable mention for the Northwest Conference Men’s Basketball Student-Athlete of the Week.
In a 73-72 win at La Sierra on Dec. 28, Whitehurst scored 15 points on 5-10 field goal and 5-16 free throws, with 13 rebounds, an assist and a steal. It was his second straight double-double and second of his career. In a 66-40 loss at La Verne on Dec. 29, he led the Bruins with 14 points on 7-15 field goals, with 7 rebounds, an assist and a steal. Early foul trouble cost him playing time in a 64-60 loss at 22nd-ranked Chapman on Dec. 31 as he finished with 4 points on 2-4 field goals, with 3 rebounds and an assist. In three games, he totaled 33 points (11.0 ppg) on 14-29 field goals (.483) and 5-16 free throws (.313), with 23 rebounds (7.67 rpg), 3 assists, and 2 steals.
Whitehurst, who was BAA Athlete of the Week and honorable mention for NWC honors for Nov. 15-21, currently ranks 10th in the NWC in rebounding (6.6) and 22nd in scoring (11.6).
The Athlete of the Week Award for both men and women is presented throughout the Bruin sports seasons by the Bruin Athletic Association, whose mission is to provide George Fox student-athletes with an outstanding athletic and academic experience and to strengthen the overall competitiveness of the Bruin athletics program. For more information about the organization or to become a member, visit the Bruin Athletic Association website.
* 2010-11 Honors
Cole Whitehurst
- Bruin Athletic Association Athlete of the Week - Nov. 15-21; Dec. 23-Jan. 2
- Northwest Conference Student-Athlete of the Week - HM, Nov. 15-21; HM, Dec. 23-Jan. 2
Stephen Wiseley
- Bruin Athletic Association Athlete of the Week - Nov. 22-28; Dec. 13-22
- Northwest Conference Student-Athlete of the Week - HM, Nov. 22-28; HM, Dec. 13-22
Rich Smith
- Bruin Athletic Association Athlete of the Week - Nov. 29-Dec. 5; Dec. 6-12
- Northwest Conference Student-Athlete of the Week - HM, Nov. 29-Dec. 5; HM, Dec. 6-12
* NCAA Stats: Wiseley Ranked 44th Among Leaders in Assists
In NCAA national statistics thru Jan. 2, guard Stephen Wiseley ranked 44th in assists (5.2) ...
* NWC Stats: Bruins Remain League Leaders in Blocked Shots
- Thru games of Jan. 4, George Fox is 1st in blocked shots (2.45), 3rd in 3-pt field goal pct. defense (.332), 4th in steals (7.55), 5th in turnover margin (+1.18), 6th in field goal pct. defense (.452), rebounding (35.9), 7th in defense (79.4), 8th in scoring (68.7), field goal pct. (.397), 3-pt field goals (4.55), free throw pct. (.655), rebounding defense (43.5), rebound margin (-7.5), assists (10.18), assist/TO ratio (0.68), 9th in scoring margin (-10.6), 3-pt field goal pct. (.242) …
- Stephen Wiseley is 2nd in assists (5.20), 5th in free throw pct. (.820), 7th in assist/TO ratio (1.13), steals (1.60), 13th in scoring (15.4), 15th in 3-pt field goals (1.50)...
- Rich Smith is 2nd in blocked shots (1.91), 9th in rebounding (7.5, T), 14th in scoring (15.0) …
- Mike Taylor is 4th in steals (1.75), 5th in blocked shots (0.64, T), 9th in rebounding (6.7), 10th in 3-pt field goals (1.82), 11th in scoring (15.5) ...
- Cole Whitehurst is 10th in rebounding (6.6), 22nd in scoring (11.6) …
- Davis Martin is 5th in blocked shots (0.64, T) ...
* Double-Doubles
- Rich Smith: season 2, career 8 - 24 pts, 14 reb at Willamette, 11/30; 17 pts, 12 reb at Chapman, 12/31
- Cole Whitehurst: season 2, career 2 - 12 pts, 14 reb at Corban, 12/20; 15 pts, 13 reb at La Sierra, 12/28
* Career Lists: Wiseley Slips Behind Chenault in All-Time FT Pct.
- Stephen Wiseley: Wiseley went 11-14 from the free throw line in the Bruins’ three games in southern California, leaving his career free throw percentage at .868 (131-151), The Northwest Conference leader and ninth nationally in free throw shooting last year (.891), he is now 2nd on the all-time Bruin free throw percentage list behind Gary Chenault (.870, 195-224, 1976-79) ...
* Statistician “Biggs” Begins Journey Toward Next 100 Games
With the Bruins’ three games in southern California last week, long-time statistician Mike “Biggs” Wirta extended his streak of George Fox men’s basketball games attended, home and way, to 703 in a row. His streak was announced during a timeout at the Chapman game on Dec. 31, resulting in a nice round of applause from the crowd. He has also worked 631 straight Bruin home games, not missing one since 1972 when he was in military service. In all, he has seen over half of all games ever played by the George Fox men’s team (1,114 of 2,141 for 52.03%) in the 106-plus seasons of Bruin basketball.
* Head Coach Mark Sundquist
Head coach Mark Sundquist (Seattle Pacific ’87) is 106-156 (.405, 55-56 home, 39-86 road, 12-14 neutral) to date in his 11th season at George Fox … He became the second-winningest coach in Bruin history, breaking a tie with Lorin Miller (99-72, 1970-76), when he picked up his 100th coaching win in a 103-90 victory over Whitman at home on Feb. 5, 2010. The all-time leader is Mark Vernon (318-218, 1982-2000) … He was the Northwest Conference Coach of the Year in 2004-05 … … He is 6-14 (4-6 home, 2-8 road) vs. Lewis & Clark, and 7-13 (4-6 home, 3-7 road) vs. Pacific.
