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WHAT’S BRUIN: Men’s Basketball News & Notes 12/8
Links: Quick Facts / Roster / Schedule & Results / Statistics / Press Releases
Multimedia: Live Stats / Video / KFOX Radio
Overall Record: 1-4 (Home 0-2, Road 1-2, Neutral 0-0)
NWC Record: 1-1, 3rd T (Home 0-0, Road 1-1)
HIGHLIGHTS:
* Coming Up: PSU Game Thursday Bruins’ 1st in 33 Seasons vs. D-I
* Recent Games: Bruins’ NWC Record Evens at 1-1 with Loss at PLU
* Smith Wins BAA Award, Receives HM for NWC Weekly Honor
* NWC Stats: Wiseley, Smith Among NWC Leaders in 5 Categories
* Career Lists: Wiseley Climbs into Top Spot in All-Time FT Pct.
* Statistician “Biggs” Moves Within Three of 700 Straight Games
* Coming Up: PSU Game Thursday Bruins’ 1st in 33 Seasons vs. D-I
- Thur., Dec. 9, 7 pm - at Portland State University (4-2), Portland, Ore.
NEWBERG, Ore. – After splitting their first two Northwest Conference games of the season last week, the George Fox Bruins step back outside the conference this week for a 7:00 p.m. Thursday meeting with the Portland State Vikings at the Stott Center in Portland, Ore., their first game against an NCAA Division I opponent in 33 seasons.
The Portland State game is the fourth in a series of ten straight games away from home for the Bruins, who will not play at home again until Jan. 8. Both teams are coming off losses, the Bruins dropping a 74-51 decision Saturday at Pacific Lutheran and the Vikings falling Sunday to the Oregon Ducks in Eugene 68-49.
George Fox campus station KFOX will have live audio of the Portland State game at http://www.georgefox.edu/offices/asc/kfoxradio/, while PSU will air the game on Freedom 970 AM and via the internet at www.970.am. The Vikings’ play-by-play voice is Tom Hewitt, who played for the Bruins from 1973-77, ranking ninth all-time with 404 assists, and was inducted into the GFU Sports Hall of Fame for meritorious service in 2008. PSU will also have live stats at http://www.sidearmstats.com/portlandstate/mbball/index.htm, and live video coverage at http://www.b2tv.com/.
The Bruins will take the next nine days off for final exams, then return to action on Saturday, Dec. 18, at Northwest (Wash.) in another non-conference contest.
Portland State (4-2): The Vikings were picked to finish 7th in the Big Sky Conference pre-season poll, while the Bruins were picked to tie for 4th in the Northwest Conference ... Series record: George Fox trails 0-3 (0-1 home, 0-2 road) ... The Vikings were the last D-I team the Bruins played, defeating the Bruins 124-81 on Jan. 13, 1978, with Freeman Williams pouring in 66 points for the Viks, the third-highest total of his storied career and the most ever scored against the Bruins by one player. Dave Adrian had 25 points for the Bruins, Paul Cozens had a double-double of 25 points and 11 rebounds, and Gary Chenault scored 10 ... The two teams previously met in a home-and-home series in January 1948 when PSU was known as Vanport College and GFU was called Pacific College, with the team then going by the nickname of Quakers. The Vikings won 95-54 in Vanport and 84-59 in Newberg. George Fox acquired its new name later in 1948 and PSU changed in 1955 ... Portland State averages 73.2 points per game while allowing 75.0, pulls down 33.3 rebounds a game, and shoots .436 from the field, .333 on threes, and .779 from the line ... The Vikings have four double-figure scorers: G Chris Harriel (14.8), G Melvin Jones (14.2), F Chehales Tapscott (10.8), and G Charles Odum (10.2) ... Tapscott is the top rebounder (7.2) ... Jones and Tapscott are the assists leaders (2.67) ... Coach Tyler Geving is 17-21 to date in his 2nd season at PSU ... Next: Dec. 12 vs. California State-Fullerton, 2:05 p.m.
* Recent Games: Bruins’ NWC Record Evens at 1-1 with Loss at PLU
Dec. 4 - at Pacific Lutheran 74, George Fox 51
Shooting only 20 percent in the first half, the visiting Bruins fell too far behind the Lutes to catch up and saw their Northwest Conference record evened at 1-1. George Fox connected on only 6 of 30 tries in the first half, their worst percentage since going 5-30 (.167) in the first half of an 83-53 loss to Whitworth on Jan. 6, 2007, and trailed 32-18 at the break. The Bruins’ shooting eye improved in the second half to .379 (11-29), but the Lutes shot .520 (13-25) in the period to remain comfortably ahead. Stephen Wiseley was the only Bruin to score in double figures with 14 points, while Davis Martin had a career-high nine. Mike Taylor led in rebounds with seven, and Wiseley and Cole Whitehurst had three assists each.
BRUIN BITS:
* Smith Wins BAA Award, Receives HM for NWC Weekly Honor
With a huge game in the Bruins’ Northwest Conference-opening road win at Willamette, senior post Rich Smith of Bremerton, Wash., has been named the Bruin Athletic Association Men’s Athlete of the Week for Nov. 29-Dec. 5, and received honorable mention for NWC Men’s Basketball Student-Athlete of the Week.
In the Bruins’ 91-88 win over the Bearcats on Nev. 30, Smith posted his first double-double of the season and the 7th of his GFU career when scored 24 points on 9-16 field goals and 6-9 free throws, with 14 rebounds and 3 steals. He had 14 points in the first half alone to help the Bruins to a 41-35 halftime. Plagued by foul trouble in the Bruins’ 74-51 loss at Pacific Lutheran on Dec. 4, he finished with 6 points on 2-8 from the field and 2-2 from the line, with 3 rebounds and a blocked shot. For the week, he totaled 30 points (15.0 ppg) on 11-24 field goals (.458) and 8-11 free throws (.727), with 17 rebounds (8.5 rpg), 3 steals and a blocked shot.
Smith currently ranks 4th in the NWC in blocked shots (0.80), 6th in rebounding (7.2, T), 9th in steals (1.40, T), 10th in scoring (16.6), and 14th in field goal pct. (.507).
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
- Northwest Conference Student-Athlete of the Week - HM, Nov. 15-21
Stephen Wiseley
- Bruin Athletic Association Athlete of the Week - Nov. 22-28
- Northwest Conference Student-Athlete of the Week - HM, Nov. 22-28
Rich Smith
- Bruin Athletic Association Athlete of the Week - Nov. 29-Dec. 5
- Northwest Conference Student-Athlete of the Week - HM, Nov. 29-Dec. 5
* NWC Stats: Wiseley, Smith Among NWC Leaders in 5 Categories
- George Fox is 2nd in blocked shots (2.20), 3rd in rebounding (37.4), 4th in scoring (77.0), 6th in field goal pct. (.433), field goal pct. defense (.445), 3-pt field goal pct. defense (.330), 3-pt field goals (5.40), steals (6.80), 7th in scoring margin (-7.2), rebounding defense (41.6), rebound margin (-4.2), turnover margin (-0.20), assist/TO ratio (0.72), 8th in defense (84.2), free throw pct. (.667), 3-pt field goal pct. (.281), assists (11.40) …
- Stephen Wiseley is 2nd in assists (4.60), 8th in assist/TO ratio (0.82), 11th in scoring (16.4), 14th in 3-pt field goals (1.60), 15th in free throw pct. (.783) ...
- Rich Smith is 4th in blocked shots (0.80), 6th in rebounding (7.2, T), 9th in steals (1.40, T), 10th in scoring (16.6), 14th in field goal pct. (.507) …
- Mike Taylor is 3rd in scoring (19.0), 7th in 3-pt field goals (2.20), 13th in steals (1.20, T), rebounding (6.2) ...
- Cole Whitehurst is 9th in steals (1.40, T), 19th in scoring (14.0) …
- Davis Martin is 3rd in blocked shots (1.00) ...
* Double-Doubles
- Rich Smith: season 1, career 7 - 24 pts, 14 reb at Willamette, 11/30
* Career Lists: Wiseley Climbs into Top Spot in All-Time FT Pct.
- Stephen Wiseley: With a 2-2 game in free throws at Pacific Lutheran on Dec. 4, Wiseley’s career free throw percentage climbed to .871 (108-124), sliding him past Gary Chenault (.870, 195-224, 1976-79) into the top spot in that category in Bruin history ...
* Statistician “Biggs” Moves Within Three of 700 Straight Games
With the Bruins’ game at Pacific Lutheran on Dec. 4, long-time Bruin statistician Mike “Biggs” Wirta extended his streaks of George Fox men’s basketball games covered, home and way, to 697 in a row. He has also worked 631 straight 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 (1,108 of 2,135 for 51.90%) in the 106-plus seasons of Bruin basketball.
* Head Coach Mark Sundquist
Head coach Mark Sundquist (Seattle Pacific ’87) is 104-152 (.406, 55-56 home, 37-82 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 … … Against Portland State, he is 0-0.
