WHAT’S BRUIN: Men’s Basketball News & Notes 1/25

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

Multimedia: Live Stats / Video / KFOX Radio 

Overall Record: 9-8 (Home 3-4, Road 6-3, Neutral 0-1)

NWC Record: 6-2, 2nd T (Home 3-0, Road 3-2)

HIGHLIGHTS:

* Coming Up: Bruins Open 2nd Half of NWC Play with Three vs. Contenders

* Recent Games: Bruins Sweep Weekend to Move into 2nd-Place Tie in NWC

* Taylor Named BAA Athlete of the Week for 3rd Time, HM for NWC Honors

* Sanchez’ Buzzbeater to Defeat Lutes Featured on D3hoops.com Video

* Bruins’ Five-Game Winning Streak Team’s Longest in Six Years

* Bruins Tie Record for Fewest Turnovers in a Game in Win at Linfield

* NWC Poll: Bruins Face Uphill Fight after 7th-Place Prediction

* NCAA Stats: Bruins Climb to 15th Nationally in Fewest Turnovers

* NWC Stats: Bruins Atop Conference in Assists, Fewest Turnovers

* Statistician “Biggs” Increases Home Game Streak to 646 in a Row

* Coming Up: Bruins Open 2nd Half of NWC Play with Three vs. Contenders

- Fri., Jan. 27, 8:00 pm - vs. Whitworth University (14-3, NWC 7-1), Newberg, Ore.

- Sat., Jan. 28, 6:00 pm – vs. Whitman College (13-4, NWC 6-2), Newberg, Ore.

- Tue., Jan. 31, 8:00 pm - vs. Lewis & Clark College (9-8, NWC 4-4), Newberg, Ore.

NEWBERG, Ore. – Halfway through the Northwest Conference schedule, the surprising George Fox University Bruins find themselves tied for second in the league and only a game out of first, but will start the second half of the NWC slate with three home games in five days against a trio of other aspiring NWC Tournament hopefuls.

First up for the Bruins, who are 9-8 overall after five straight wins and 6-2 in league play, will be the Whitworth University Pirates (14-3, NWC 7-1) on Friday, Jan. 27, at 8:00 p.m.  The Pirates are ranked 11th nationally and are in first place in the conference, so a George Fox win could lift the Bruins into a tie for first. 

On Saturday, Jan. 28, the Bruins will host the Whitman College Missionaries (13-4, NWC 6-2), with whom they are tied for second, at 6:00 p.m.  The time is two hours earlier than usual to allow the visitors an early start home after the game.  Thus far, Whitman is the only team to beat Whitworth in conference play in each of the last two years.

The Bruins close their congested week with the Lewis & Clark College Pioneers (9-8, NWC 4-4) on Tuesday, Jan. 31, at 8:00 p.m.  The Pios are currently sixth in the standings, but are only one game behind the University of Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran University, who are tied for the fourth and final NWC Tournament playoff spot.

All of the upcoming games will be part of conference doubleheaders, with women’s games tipping off prior to the men’s matches at 6:00 p.m. on Friday and Tuesday and at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday.

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.

Multimedia: George Fox will provide live audio internet coverage through campus station KFOX, live video through Stretch Internet, and live stats for all six upcoming games; see the George Fox links above.

* Upcoming Opponents:

Whitworth (14-3, NWC 7-1, 1st): The Pirates from Spokane, Wash., the defending NWC champions, were picked to finish 1st in the NWC coaches’ pre-season poll … Whitworth is ranked 11th in the latest D3hoops.com national poll ... The Pirates, who have two six-game winning streaks this season, won their last game 63-49 at Willamette on Jan. 20 behind 23 points from Idris Lasisi, 14 from Wade Gebbers, 13 and 13 rebounds from Felix Friedt, and 12 points from Dustin McConnell ... Series record (since 1981): George Fox trails 11-28 (6-12 home, 5-16 road) ... The Pirates have won the last 13 meetings, including a 75-48 win in Spokane on Dec. 3 this season ... George Fox’s last win was 77-69 in overtime in Newberg on Dec. 2, 2005 ... Whitworth by the numbers: Scoring (75.4, 2nd in the NWC), Defense (65.1 ppg, 2nd), FG% (.468, 1st), 3-pt FG% (.365, 3rd), FT% (.797, 1st), Reb (34.1, 6th) ... The Pirates have three double-figure scorers: P Felix Friedt (16.8 ppg, 2nd), G Idris Lasisi (16.3 ppg, 4th), and G Wade Gebbers (13.9 ppg, 10th) .... Friedt is the top rebounder (8.9 rpg, 1st) ... Gebbers is the assists leader (3.6 apg, 3rd) ... Coach Matt Logie (Lehigh ’03), a former assistant at Lehigh, is 14-3 in his 1st season at Whitworth ... Next game: Jan. 28 at Lewis & Clark, 4 p.m.

Whitman (13-4, NWC 6-2, 2nd T): The Missionaries from Walla Walla, Wash., were picked to finish 2nd in the NWC coaches’ pre-season poll … Whitman has won its last five games, the latest 98-65 at Willamette on Jan. 21 as David Michaels, the NWC Player of the Week, scored 22 points, Josh Duckworth 11, Jordan Dickson 10, and Drew Raher had 11 rebounds ... The Missionaries play at Lewis & Clark Friday before meeting the Bruins ... Series record (since 1981): George Fox leads 25-18 (16-4 home, 9-14 road) ... The Missionaries swept last year’s series 86-77 in overtime in Newberg on Jan. 15 and 79-58 in Walla Walla on Feb. 11 ... George Fox’s last win was 103-90 in Newberg on Feb. 5, 2010 ... Whitman by the numbers: Scoring (73.6 ppg, 3rd), Defense (61.5 ppg, 1st), FG% (.421, 7th), 3-pt FG% (.357, 4th), FT% (.656, 9th), Reb (38.4 rpg, 2nd) ... The balanced Missionaries have only one double-figure scorer: F David Michaels (16.7 ppg, 3rd) .... Michaels is the top rebounder (6.1 rpg, 9th) ... G Josh Duckworth is the assists leaders (2.4 apg, 8th T) ... Coach Eric Bridgeland (Manitoba ’93) is in his 4th season at Whitman ... Next game: Feb. 3 vs. Pacific Lutheran, 6 p.m.

Lewis & Clark (9-8, NWC 4-4, 6th): The Pioneers from Portland, Ore., were picked to finish 3rd in the pre-season NWC coaches’ poll ... The Pios lost their last game 76-74 at Puget Sound on Jan. 21 despite 21 points by James Hollins and 15 by P.J. Taylor ... The Pios host Whitman Friday and Whitworth Saturday before meeting the Bruins ... Series record (since 1965): George Fox trails 22-41 (12-15 home, 10-26 road) ... The Pios won this year’s first meeting 75-56 in Portland on Jan. 3 ... George Fox’s last win was 71-70 in Newberg on Feb. 5, 2011 ... Lewis & Clark by the numbers: Scoring (70.3 ppg, 5th), Defense (68.4 ppg, 5th), FG% (.395, 9th), 3-pt FG% (.344, 5th), FT% (.743, 2nd), Reb (37.1 rpg, 4th) ... The Pioneers have three double-figure scorers: G James Hollins (15.6 ppg, 6th T),  G Ross Erickson (13.2 ppg, 12th), and PG P.J. Taylor (11.7 ppg, 19th) .... Hollins is the top rebounder (7.0 rpg, 6th) ... G Marcus Wells is the assists leader (2.7 apg, 6th) ... Coach Dinari Foreman (Lewis & Clark ‘95) is 9-8 to date in his 1st season as head coach at his alma mater ... Next game: Feb. 4 at Linfield, 8:00 p.m.

* Recent Games: Bruins Sweep Weekend to Move into 2nd-Place Tie in NWC

Jan. 21 - George Fox 84, at Linfield 77

Mike Taylor scored 21 points, 13 in the second half, and the Bruins tied a team record for fewest turnovers in a game with five as they rallied from a 14-point first-half deficit to defeat the Linfield Wildcats 84-77 in McMinnville.  The Bruins’ five turnovers equaled a record previously set on Jan. 3, 2003, in a game at Whitman.  George Fox took a quick 5-0 lead to start the game, but the Wildcats caught fire, hitting 12 of their first 14 shots and five of their first six long-range attempts to take a 14-point lead at 36-22 with 8:12 left.  The Wildcats slowed down after that, hitting only four of their last 10 shots as the Bruins clawed their way back into the game, out-scoring the home team 15-6 to close the period.  The Bruins reeled off seven unanswered points early in the second half to tie it 44-44, and took their first lead since the first minute of the game on a three by Jon Adrian, who also broke a 47-47 tie for good with another three.  The Bruins extended the lead to 68-58 on a trey by A.J. Grant with 7:53 to go.  The Wildcats pulled within three at 76-73 with 2:04 left, but the Bruins hit six free throws down the stretch to hang on.  Taylor led the Bruins with 21 points, Anthony Sanchez added 14, and Sean Atkins and Grant had 12 each.  Atkins had five rebounds, Sanchez passed out four assists, and Atkins, Sanchez, and Spencer Bolte made three steals apiece.

Jan. 22 - at George Fox 53, Pacific Lutheran 52

In a thrilling battle for a share of second place in the Northwest Conference, Anthony Sanchez’ buzzer-beating layup off an errant desperation shot lifted the Bruins to a stunning 53-52 win over the Pacific Lutheran Lutes Sunday night in Newberg.  The Lutes had taken the lead 52-51 with 10 seconds left, but Sanchez was in the right spot to put the ball off the glass as the horn sounded after a three-point try by Mike Taylor went over the goal.  With its fifth straight win, George Fox moved into a tie for second place in the league standings.  It was only the second Sunday game in George Fox men’s history, and was the makeup of a postponement from Friday, when severe winter weather had prevented PLU from leaving the Puget Sound area.  The Bruins built a 29-19 lead with 2:51 left in the first half and led 29-25 at the break.  PLU rallied late in the second half to go up 46-44 with 6:26 left, and the game went back and forth until the final dramatic seconds. Sean Atkins led the Bruins in scoring with 14 points, Taylor finished with 13, and Sanchez added 11.  Taylor and Atkins had seven rebounds apiece, Corey Clark handed out three assists, and Atkins had four steals and four blocked shots.

BRUIN BITS:

* Taylor Named BAA Athlete of the Week for 3rd Time, HM for NWC Honors 

A key contributor in two George Fox victories that extended the Bruins’ winning streak to five in a row, wing Mike Taylor has earned the Bruin Athletic Association Men’s Athlete of the Week award for the third time this season and also received honorable mention for the Northwest Conference Men’s Basketball Student-Athlete of the Week for Jan. 16-22. 

Taylor, a senior from Los Angeles, Calif., scored a team-high 21 points in the Bruins’ 84-77 win at Linfield on Jan. 21, hitting 6-9 from the field (1-2 on three-pointers) and 8-8 from the line, with 3 rebounds and 3 assists.  In the Bruins’ 52-52 buzzer-beating win over Pacific Lutheran on Jan. 22, he scored 13 points on 6-13 field goals (1-3 on threes) with7 rebounds, 2 assists and a blocked shot.  For the week, he scored 34 points (17.0 ppg) on 12-22 field goals (.545), including 2-5 (.400) on threes, and 8-8 free throws (1.000), with 10 rebounds (5.0 rpg), 5 assists (2.5 apg), and a blocked shot.

In the latest NWC statistics, Taylor ranks 1st in assists (4.2 apg), 3rd in blocked shots (1.0 bspg), 6th in scoring (15.6 ppg, T), 7th in free throw pct. (.768), and 13th in rebounding (5.1 rpg).  He also earned BAA and honorable mention NWC honors for Nov. 28-Dec. 4 and Dec. 26-Jan. 8.

The George Fox 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. 

2011-12 Bruin Athletic Association Men’s Athletes of the Week

Aug. 29-Sept. 4 - Jacob Baker (Soccer)

Sept. 5-11 - Luke Hammer (Soccer)

Sept. 12-18 - Mike Ulstad (Golf)

Sept. 19-25 - Shawn Aldrich (Tennis)

Sept. 26-Oct. 2 - Joseph Pia (Cross Country)

Oct. 3-9 - Chris Lumsden (Golf)

Oct. 10-16 - Luke Hammer (Soccer)

Oct. 17-23 - Aleks Gabrio (Golf)

Oct. 24-30 - Kyle Dreibelbis (Cross Country)

Oct. 31-Nov. 6 - Elliott Davis (Soccer)

Nov. 7-13 - Kyle Dreibelbis (Cross Country)

Nov. 14-20 - Corey Clark (Basketball)

Nov. 21-27 - A.J. Grant (Basketball)

Nov. 28-Dec. 4 - Mike Taylor (Basketball)

Dec. 5-11 - Sean Atkins (Basketball)

Dec. 12-25 - Anthony Sanchez (Basketball)

Dec. 26-Jan. 8 - Mike Taylor (Basketball)

Jan. 9-15 - Sean Atkins (Basketball)

Jan. 16-22 - Mike Taylor (Basketball)