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WHAT’S BRUIN: Men’s Basketball News & Notes 1/27
Links: Quick Facts / Roster / Schedule & Results / Statistics / Press Releases
Multimedia: Live Stats / Video / KFOX Radio
Overall Record: 5-13 (Home 2-5, Road 3-8)
NWC Record: 3-6, 7th (Home 2-3, Road 1-3)
HIGHLIGHTS:
* Coming Up: Bruins Hope to Repay Lutes in Only Game of the Week
* Recent Games: Bruins Lose Two but Win Big Shootout with Bearcats
* Wiseley BAA Athlete of the Week, HM for NWC Player Honors
* Taylor Posts 10th Triple-Double in Bruin History in Willamette Win
* NWC Stats: Five Bruins Ranked Among Conference Leaders
* Career Lists: Wiseley Remains 3rd on All-Time List in FT Pct.
* Statistician “Biggs” Increases Home Streak to 636 in a Row
* Coming Up: Bruins Hope to Repay Lutes in Only Game of the Week
- Fri., Jan. 28, 8:00 pm - vs. Pacific Lutheran University (10-6, NWC 5-3), Newberg, Ore.
NEWBERG, Ore. – With only one game this weekend after playing three games in the span of five days last week, the George Fox Bruins hope to gain a measure of payback on Friday at 8:00 p.m. when they host the Pacific Lutheran Lutes, who punched them 74-51 in their first meeting of the season on Dec. 4 up in Parkland, Wash.
Both teams are coming off high-scoring wins over Willamette, the Lutes having beaten the Bearcats 99-72 in Salem on Saturday while the Bruins won a 117-100 shootout in Newberg on Tuesday. The game will be preceded by the George Fox-PLU women’s game at 6:00 p.m.
Several special activities will take place throughout Friday’s twinbill. The entire evening has been designated as “Pink Zone” night, sponsored by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association to raise breast cancer awareness, and fans have been asked to wear pink to stage a “Pink-Out” at the games. At halftime of the women’s game, the George Fox women’s golf team will be honored for their first Northwest Conference championship during the 2009-10 season. At halftime of the men’s game, National Girls and Women in Sports Day will be celebrated, with all senior women athletes and athletic trainers at George Fox being recognized. For complete news about the evening’s events, see the press release on the Bruins’ athletic website at http://athletics.georgefox.edu/general/2010-11/releases/0126.
Pacific Lutheran (10-6, NWC 5-3, 3rd): The Lutes from Parkland, Wash. (a Tacoma suburb) were picked to finish in a tie for 4th in the Northwest Conference pre-season poll with the Bruins and the Whitman Missionaries ... Last game: The Lutes won their second in a row and fourth in the last five with a 99-72 win at Willamette on Saturday behind 31 points by Kyle MacTaggart, 24 by Andrew Earnest, and 16 points and 14 rebounds by Victor Bull ... Series record (since 1965): George Fox trails 13-19 (8-7 home, 5-12 road) ... The Lutes have won the last two meetings, including a 74-51 win in Parkland on Dec. 4 in their first meeting this season ... The Bruins’ last win in the series was 92-67 in Newberg on Jan. 23, 2010 ... PLU by the numbers: Scoring (72.9, 6th in the NWC), Defense (66.9, 2nd), FG % (.461, 3rd), 3-pt % (.347, 4th), FT % (.765, 3rd, 15th nationally), Rebounding (34.1, 8th) ... PLU leads the NWC in blocked shots (2.31) ... The Lutes have two double-figure scorers: G Andrew Earnest (12.3, 20th in the NWC), F Kyle MacTaggart (11.1, 25th)... C Victor Bull is the top rebounder (6.9, 6th) ... G James Conti is the assists leader (2.94, 7th) ... Coach Steve Dickerson is 46-62 to date in his 5th year at PLU ... Next: Jan. 29 at Pacific, 8 pm.
Multimedia: George Fox will provide live stats, live audio webcasting via campus station KFOX, and live video streaming via Stretch Internet for both games against PLU; 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 Lose Two but Win Big Shootout with Bearcats
Jan. 21 - at Puget Sound 80, George Fox 75
Down by 18 with just over five minutes left, the Bruins closed within three points over the next three minutes but could not complete the comeback as the Loggers escaped with the victory. Trailing 71-53 with 5:26 to go, the Bruins reeled off 15 unanswered points before the Loggers hit seven free throws in the time remaining to hang on. Stephen Wiseley led all scorers with a career-high 29 points, sinking 9-14 from the floor, including 5-8 from three-point range, and 6-7 free throws. Mike Taylor added 15 points, and Rich Smith and Davis Martin had 11 each, a career high for the latter. Taylor had nine rebounds and passed out three assists.
Jan. 22 - Linfield 80, at George Fox 76
For the second straight game, the Bruins found themselves behind by double digits with just over five minutes left and rallied to within a couple of points before eventually falling to their Yamhill County counterparts. Down 71-59 with 5:13 to play, the Bruins used a 14-4 run featuring two free throws and three baskets by Rich Smith to make it 75-73 with 1:11 left, but the Wildcats hit five free throws down the stretch to secure the win. Smith led a quartet of Bruins in double figures with 22 points, followed by Stephen Wiseley with 18, Mike Taylor with 17, and Davis Martin with 10. Cole Whitehurst had a game-high nine rebounds, while Wiseley handed out six assists and made four steals.
Jan. 25 - at George Fox 117, Willamette 100
Cole Whitehurst scored a career-high 35 points and Mike Taylor posted the first George Fox triple-double in 19 years and 10th in history with 18 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 assists as the Bruins won an offensive shootout over the Bearcats. Rich Smith notched a career-high 28 points, and Stephen Wiseley added 20 with seven assists. Down 83-82 with 11 minutes to play, the Bruins outscored the Bearcats 35-13 over the next nine minutes to run away with the game. The Bruins’ 117 points was their highest total in a game since a 120-87 win at Southern Oregon on Feb. 13, 1993. For most of the game, the Bruins’ field goal percentage hovered near 75 percent, finally settling at .694 (43-62), just short of the record of .714 (40-56) vs. Columbia Christian on Jan. 29, 1982.
BRUIN BITS:
* Wiseley BAA Athlete of the Week, HM for NWC Player Honors
In a week that included his career-high scoring total, senior point guard Stephen Wiseley of Kirkland, Wash., received the Bruin Athletic Association Men’s Athlete of the Week award for Jan. 17-23, and also received honorable mention for the Northwest Conference Men’s Basketball Student-Athlete of the Week.
In an 80-75 loss at Puget Sound on Jan. 21, Wiseley scored a career-high 29 points on 9-14 field goals, including 5-8 on three-pointers, and 6-7 free throws, with 2 steals and an assist. In an 80-76 setback to Linfield on Jan. 22, he scored 18 points on 5-7 shooting, with a perfect 3-3 from three-point range, and 5-7 free throws, with 6 assists, 4 steals, and 2 rebounds. For the week, he totaled 47 points (23.5 ppg) on 14-21 field goals (.667), including 8-11 three-pointers (.727), and 11-14 free throws (.786), with 7 assists (3.5 apg), 6 steals (3.0 spg), and 2 rebounds.
Wiseley, an honorable mention All-Conference performer last year, currently ranks 2nd in the NWC in assists (5.00), 4th in assist/TO ratio (1.21, T), 5th in steals (1.65), 6th in free throw pct. (.805), 3-pt field goals (2.12), 7th in scoring (16.6), and 9th in 3-pt pct. (.396). He has been the BAA Athlete of the Week and honorable mention for NWC Student-Athlete of the Week four times each this season.
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; Jan. 17-23
- Northwest Conference Student-Athlete of the Week - HM, Nov. 22-28; HM, Dec. 13-22; HM, Jan. 3-9; HM, Jan. 17-23
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
* Taylor Posts 10th Triple-Double in Bruin History in Willamette Win
Junior wing Mike Taylor from Los Angeles, Calif., collected 18 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 assists in the Bruins’ 117-100 win over Willamette on Jan. 25 in Newberg, the 10th triple-double in the 107 years of George Fox basketball and the first since Dave Wilson had 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 13 blocked shots at Northwest Christian on Nov. 19, 1992. He became the seventh player in Bruins’ history to achieve the feat, joining Dave Adrian, Kenny Stone, Curtis Kimbrough, Jeff Richards, Brian Martin, and Wilson, who did it four times, all with points, rebounds, and blocked shots. The six who did it once had points, rebounds, and assists. Taylor’s 15 rebounds were the most in any of the triple-doubles.
* NWC Stats: Five Bruins Ranked Among Conference Leaders
- Thru games of Jan. 25, George Fox is 2nd in blocked shots (2.17), 4th in 3-pt field goal pct. defense (.344), 5th in assists (12.17), turnover margin (+0.06), assist/TO ratio (0.81), 6th in scoring margin (-8.1), field goal pct. defense (.464), 3-pt field goals (5.61), 7th in scoring (72.2), defense (80.2), rebounding (35.3), rebounding defense (40.3), rebound margin (-5.0), steals (6.56), 8th in field goal pct. (.426), 9th in free throw pct. (.649), 3-pt field goal pct. (.292) …
- Stephen Wiseley is 2nd in assists (5.00), 4th in assist/TO ratio (1.21, T), 5th in steals (1.65), 6th in free throw pct. (.805), 3-pt field goals (2.12), 7th in scoring (16.6), 9th in 3-pt pct. (.396) ...
- Rich Smith is 5th in rebounding (7.2), blocked shots (0.56, T), 11th in scoring (15.4), 12th in field goal pct. (.496, T) …
- Mike Taylor is 3rd in steals (1.83, T), 5th in blocked shots (0.56, T), 7th in rebounding (6.8), 9th in scoring (15.7), 3-pt field goals (1.83) ...
- Cole Whitehurst is 11th in rebounding (6.1), 14th in blocked shots (0.39), 21st in scoring (12.1) …
- Davis Martin is 8th in blocked shots (0.50, T) ...
* Triple-Doubles
- Mike Taylor: season 1, career 1 - 18 pts, 15 reb, 11 ast vs. Willamette, 1/25
* 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 Remains 3rd on All-Time List in FT Pct.
- Stephen Wiseley: Wiseley went 13-16 from the free throw line in the Bruins’ three games last week, leaving his career free throw percentage at .852 (156-183). 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 636 in a Row
With the Bruins’ three games this past week, the last two at home, long-time statistician Mike “Biggs” Wirta extended his streak of George Fox men’s basketball games attended, home and way, to 710 in a row, and his streak of home games worked to 636 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 (1,121 of 2,148 for 52.19%) in the 106-plus seasons of Bruin basketball.
* Head Coach Mark Sundquist
Head coach Mark Sundquist (Seattle Pacific ’87) is 108-161 (.401, 57-59 home, 39-88 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 9-12 (5-5 home, 4-7 away) vs. Pacific Lutheran.
