January 19, 2011

WHAT’S BRUIN: Men’s Basketball News & Notes 1/19

Links: Quick Facts / Roster / Schedule & Results / Statistics / Press Releases

Multimedia: Live Stats / Video / KFOX Radio

Overall Record: 4-11 (Home 1-4, Road 3-7)

NWC Record: 2-4, 6th T (Home 1-2, Road 1-2)

HIGHLIGHTS:

* Coming Up: Bruins to Play Three NWC Games in Five-Day Span

* Recent Games: Bruins Fall to Eastern Washington Teams at Home

* Taylor Honorable Mention for NWC Player of the Week Honors

* NCAA Stats: Wiseley Ranked 45th Among Leaders in Assists

* NWC Stats: Five Bruins Ranked Among Conference Leaders

* Career Lists: Wiseley Slips to 3rd on All-Time List in FT Pct.

* Statistician “Biggs” Increases Home Streak to 634 in a Row

* Coming Up: Bruins to Play Three NWC Games in Five-Day Span

- Fri., Jan. 21, 8:00 pm - at University of Puget Sound (5-10, NWC 2-4), Tacoma, Wash.

- Sat., Jan. 22, 8:00 pm - vs. Linfield College (7-8, NWC 3-3), Newberg, Ore.

- Tue., Jan. 25, 8:00 pm - vs. Willamette University (4-11, NWC 1-5), Newberg, Ore.

NEWBERG, Ore. – With the middle of the pack in the Northwest Conference race tightly bunched, a critical series of games is approaching for the George Fox Bruins and their hopes of making the four-team NWC Tournament, with three games in a span of five days against teams who are all within two games of the third and fourth playoff spots.

The Bruins will visit the Puget Sound Loggers on Friday, then come home to host the Linfield Wildcats on Saturday and the Willamette Bearcats on Tuesday. The Willamette game marks the start of the second half of conference play. Puget Sound is tied with George Fox and Pacific for sixth in the NWC standings at 2-4, Linfield is tied for third with Pacific Lutheran for third at 3-3, and Willamette, although last at 1-5, is still in serious contention because of their talent and the closeness of the league race.

All Bruin games during the next week will be part of NWC doubleheaders, with the women’s games at 6:00 p.m. each evening and the men’s games to follow at 8:00 p.m.

Puget Sound (5-10, NWC 2-4, 6th T): The Loggers from Tacoma, Wash., were picked to finish 8th in the NWC pre-season poll, the Bruins to tie with Whitman and Pacific Lutheran for 4th ... Last game: The Loggers have dropped six in a row, the latest a 64-61 overtime setback in which Anthony Gittens led UPS with 17 points and 10 rebounds and Kaleb Shelton added 10 points ... Series record (since 1965): George Fox trails 12-26 (7-9 home, 5-17) ... The Bruins swept the Loggers last year, 79-72 in Newberg on Jan. 2 and 87-75 in Tacoma on Jan. 29 ... The Loggers’ last win in the series was 100-79 in Tacoma on Feb. 7, 2009 ... UPS by the numbers: Scoring (68.4, 9th in the NWC), Defense (78.1, 6th), Rebounding (36.6, 4th), FG % (.381, 9th), 3-pt % (.297, 7th), FT % (.693, 4th) ... The Loggers have two double-figure scorers: F Kaleb Shelton (16.1, 7th in the NWC), G Edric Egberuare (11.2, 22nd) ... Shelton is the top rebounder (6.9, 6th) ... Egberuare is the assists leader (2.00, 15th) ... Coach Justin Lunt is 76-44 to date in his 5th season ... Next: Jan. 22 vs. Lewis & Clark, 8 pm.

Linfield (7-8, NWC 3-3, 3rd T): The Wildcats from McMinnville, Ore., were picked to finish 2nd in the NWC pre-season poll, the Bruins to tie with Whitman and Pacific Lutheran for 4th ... Last game: The Wildcats have won their last two, both in overtime, edging Puget Sound 64-61 at home Saturday behind 16 points and 9 rebounds from NWC Student-Athlete of the Week K.C. Wiser and 14 points from Sergio Rosario ... Series record (since 1965): George Fox leads 42-41 (23-16 home, 19-24 road, 0-1 neutral) ... The Wildcats swept the Bruins in the regular season last year, winning 84-80 in Newberg on Jan. 16 and 74-70 in McMinnville on Feb. 13 before the Bruins won 76-66 in the NWC Tournament semifinals in McMinnville on Feb. 25 ... Linfield by the numbers: Scoring (71.9, 6th in the NWC), Defense (74.4, 4th), Rebounding (39.4, 2nd), FG % (.483, 2nd), 3-pt % (.339, 3rd), FT % (.690, 5th) ... The Wildcats have two double-figure scorers: C K.C. Wiser (22.8, 1st in the NWC, 12th nationally), F Sergio Rosario (11.6, 19th) ... Wiser is 3rd in the NWC and 45th nationally in field goal pct. (.587) ... Wiser is the top rebounder (8.5, 2nd) ... G Zach Anderson is the assists leader (2.40, 11th) ... Coach Larry Doty is 319-298 to date in his 24th season... The Wildcats host Pacific Lutheran Friday before meeting the Bruins ... Next: Jan. 28 at Whitworth, 8 p.m.

Willamette (4-11, NWC 1-5, 9th): The Bearcats from Salem, Ore., were picked to finish 7th in the Northwest Conference pre-season poll, the Bruins to tie with Whitman and Pacific Lutheran for 4th ... Last game: The Bearcats have dropped their last two and six of their last seven, the latest an 84-70 setback at Whitworth on Saturday despite 22 points from Terrell Malley, 20 from Taylor Mounts, and 13 from Ryan Meehan ... Series record (since 1965): George Fox trails 34-44 (19-14 home, 15-30 road) ... The Bruins have won the last three meetings, winning 91-88 in Salem on Nov. 30 this season behind 28 points from Mike Taylor, 24 points and 14 rebounds from Rich Smith, and 21 points from Stephen Wiseley in the NWC opener for both teams ... The Bearcats’ last win in the series was 87-82 in Newberg on Feb. 20, 2009 ... Willamette by the numbers: Scoring (81.0, 3rd in the NWC), Defense (88.9, 9th), Rebounding (37.9, 3rd), FG % (.420, 7th), 3-pt % (.296, 8th), FT % (.686, 6th) ... The Bearcats have three double-figure scorers: W Taylor Mounts (18.0, 4th in the NWC), P Sean Dart (15.6, 8th), W Ryan Meehan (13.7, 16th) ... Mounts (8.8, 1st) and Dart (8.3, 3rd) are the top rebounders ... PG Robbie Kunke is the assists leader (6.00, 1st, 13th nationally) ... Dart is 1st in the NWC and nationally in field goal pct. (.708) ... Coach Kip Ioane is 13-27 to date is his 2nd season ... Willamette visits Lewis & Clark Friday and hosts Pacific Lutheran Saturday before meeting the Bruins ... Next: Jan. 29 vs. Puget Sound, 8 pm.

Multimedia: Puget Sound will provide live stats for Friday’s doubleheader at http://www2.pugetsound.edu/athletics/live/basketball/xlive.htm. George Fox will provide live stats, live audio webcasting via campus station KFOX, and live video streaming via Stretch Internet for the two home doubleheaders; see the links above.

Tickets: Ticket prices for basketball games at the Wheeler Sports Center / Miller Gym are $6 for adults and $3 for non-GFU students and seniors 55 and over. Children 6 and under who are not in school are free. George Fox faculty, staff, and students are admitted free with valid GFU ID; the ID covers immediate family members for George Fox employees.

* Recent Games: Bruins Fall to Eastern Washington Teams at Home

Jan. 14 - Whitworth 81, George Fox 57

Hitting 10 of their first 14 shots, the Bruins took as much as a seven-point lead in the first half but could not sustain that pace for 40 minutes and eventually fell to the 3rd-ranked Pirates, who set a school record for best start to a season at 14-0. A 35-6 stretch by the Pirates over the end of the first half and the start of the second half put the game out of the Bruins’ reach. The Bruins were led by Mike Taylor with 18 points, including four three-pointers, and Stephen Wiseley with 10. Wiseley also led the Bruins with 6 rebounds and a game-high 6 assists.

Jan. 15 - Whitman 86, at George Fox 77, OT

Playing catch-up almost all game long, momentum appeared to be on the Bruins’ side when Cam Rier nailed a three-pointer at the end of regulation to send the game into overtime, but Missionaries’ point guard Brandon Shaw scored 13 of his 26 points in the extra period to snatch victory away from the Bruins. Cole Whitehurst led the Bruins with his third double-double of the season, scoring 20 points with a game-high 12 rebounds. StephenWiseley added 15 points, Mike Taylor and Rier 14 (a career high for Rier), and Rich Smith 10. Smith just missed a double-double of his own with 9 rebounds, Taylor and Corey Clark handed out 4 assists apiece, and Taylor made 3 steals.

BRUIN BITS:

* Taylor Honorable Mention for NWC Player of the Week Honors

With two good all-around games during the weekend, junior wing Mike Taylor of Los Angeles, Calif., received honorable mention for the Northwest Conference Men’s Basketball Student-Athlete of the Week for Jan. 10-16 as the Bruins fell to national power Whitworth on Jan. 14 and lost an overtime heartbreaker to Whitman on Jan. 15.

In an 81-57 loss to the 3rd-ranked Pirates on Friday, Taylor tossed in a team-high 18 points on 6-13 field goals, including 4-9 three-pointers, and 2-2 free throws, with 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and a blocked shot. In an 86-77 overtime setback to the Missionaries on Saturday, he contributed 14 points on 6-14 field goals (2-7 on threes), with 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. In two games, he totaled 32 points (16.0 ppg) on 12-27 field goals (.444), including 6-16 three-pointers (.375), and 2-2 free throws (1.000), with 7 rebounds (3.5 rpg), 4 assists (2.0 apg), and 5 steals (2.5 spg).

Taylor, a transfer from NCAA Division I Marist, currently ranks 3rd in the NWC in steals (1.87), 7th in blocked shots (0.53, T), 8th in 3-pt field goals (1.93), 9th in scoring (15.5), and 10th in rebounding (6.3).

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; Jan. 3-9

- Northwest Conference Student-Athlete of the Week - HM, Nov. 22-28; HM, Dec. 13-22; HM, Jan. 3-9

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

Mike Taylor

- Northwest Conference Student-Athlete of the Week - HM, Jan. 10-16

* One Taylor Overlooked in Taylors-Night-Out vs. Whitworth

When the Bruins hosted Whitworth in a Northwest Conference doubleheader on Jan. 14, there were Taylors everywhere - but last week’s note overlooked one: Taylor Martin, a former Bruin men’s player who is now an assistant coach with the team. Others included Mike Taylor from the George Fox men’s team; TWO Mike Taylors on the Whitworth men’s team; Taylor (LaMoreaux) Taylor on the Whitworth women’s team (who is married to Whitworth’s Mike Taylor from Washington); George Fox sports information student assistants Taylor Kanen and Taylor Blair; and Casey Taylor, a member of the Bruins’ track and field team, who operated the internet video camera. The George Fox director of athletics is Craig Taylor, Casey’s father, who missed the evening while attending the NCAA National Convention in San Antonio, Texas.

* NCAA Stats: Wiseley Ranked 45th Among Leaders in Assists

In NCAA national statistics thru Jan. 16, guard Stephen Wiseley ranked 45th in assists (5.1) ...

* NWC Stats: Five Bruins Ranked Among Conference Leaders

- Thru games of Jan. 18, George Fox is 2nd in blocked shots (2.07), 3rd in 3-pt field goal pct. defense (.325), 6th in field goal pct. defense (.457), assist/TO ratio (0.76), 7th in 3-pt field goals (5.40), defense (78.9), rebounding (35.1), assists (11.47, steals (6.33), turnover margin (-0.13), 8th in scoring (68.7), field goal pct. (.409), rebounding defense (40.9), rebound margin (-5.7), 9th in scoring margin (-10.2), free throw pct. (.653), 3-pt field goal pct. (.272) …

- Stephen Wiseley is 2nd in assists (5.07), 4th in free throw pct. (.803), assist/TO ratio (1.18), 8th in steals (1.43, T), 9th in 3-pt field goals (1.71), 11th in scoring (15.4), 15th in 3-pt pct. (.320) ...

- Rich Smith is 5th in rebounding (7.5), 6th in blocked shots (0.60), 14th in scoring (14.5), 15th in field goal pct. (.468) …

- Mike Taylor is 3rd in steals (1.87), 7th in blocked shots (0.53, T), 8th in 3-pt field goals (1.93), 9th in scoring (15.5), 10th in rebounding (6.3) ...

- Cole Whitehurst is 8th in rebounding (6.4), 20th in scoring (11.4,T) …

- Davis Martin is 9th in blocked shots (0.47, 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 3, career 3 - 12 pts, 14 reb at Corban, 12/20; 15 pts, 13 reb at La Sierra, 12/28; 20 pts, 12 reb vs. Whitman, 1/15

- Mike Taylor: season 1, career 1 - 12 pts/10 reb vs. Pacific, 1/8

* Career Lists: Wiseley Slips to 3rd on All-Time List in FT Pct.

- Stephen Wiseley: Wiseley went 9-12 from the free throw line in the Bruins’ two games last week, leaving his career free throw percentage at .856 (143-167). The Northwest Conference leader and ninth nationally in free throw shooting last year (.891), he is 3rd on the all-time Bruin free throw percentage list behind Gary Chenault (.870, 195-224, 1976-79) and Dave Morgan (.857, 84-98, 1970-72) ...

* Statistician “Biggs” Increases Home Streak to 634 in a Row

With the Bruins’ two games this past week, long-time statistician Mike “Biggs” Wirta extended his streak of George Fox men’s basketball games attended, home and way, to 707 in a row, and his streak of home games worked to 634 straight. He has not missed a Bruin home game 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 (1,118 of 2,145 for 52.12%) in the 106-plus seasons of Bruin basketball.

* Head Coach Mark Sundquist

Head coach Mark Sundquist (Seattle Pacific ’87) is 107-159 (.402, 56-58 home, 39-87 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 5-15 (3-7 home, 2-8 road) vs. Puget Sound, 8-14 (5-5 home, 3-8 road, 0-1 neutral) vs. Linfield, and 7-14 (4-6 home, 3-8 road) vs. Willamette.