WHAT’S BRUIN: Men’s Basketball News & Notes 2/2

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Multimedia: Live Stats / Video / KFOX Radio 

Overall Record: 10-10 (Home 4-6, Road 6-3, Neutral 0-1)

NWC Record: 7-4, 5th (Home 4-2, Road 3-2)

HIGHLIGHTS:

* Coming Up: Bruins to Close 5-Game Home Stand with Pacific on Friday

* Recent Games: Bruins Lose to Whits but Beat Pios in 4-Overtime Thriller

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

* Bruins Set or Tie Several Records in 4-Overtime Win over Lewis & Clark

* Bruins Have Two “Buzzbeaters” That May be Viewed on D3hoops.com

* NCAA Stats: Bruins Among Top 50 National Leaders in 4 Categories

* NWC Stats: Taylor Among Leaders in 6 Stats, Grant and Atkins in 5

* Statistician “Biggs” Increases Home Game Streak to 649 in a Row

* Coming Up: Bruins to Close 5-Game Home Stand with Pacific on Friday

- Fri., Feb. 3, 8:00 pm - vs. Pacific University (8-11, NWC 2-8), Newberg, Ore.

NEWBERG, Ore. – Still in the running for one of four berths in the Northwest Conference Tournament at the end of the season, the George Fox University Bruins will close out a five-game home stand with a crucial game against the Pacific University Boxers on Friday, Feb. 3, at 8:00 p.m. in their only game of the weekend.

The Bruins enter the game with a 10-10 overall record and a 7-4 league mark which puts them in fifth place, but only half a game behind three teams - Puget Sound, Whitman, and Pacific Lutheran - who are tied for second at 7-3.  UPS, PLU, Whitman and league-leading Whitworth all play each other this weekend in eastern Washington, so there will be lots of scoreboard watching by Bruin fans Friday and Saturday.  Pacific comes into the contest at 8-11 overall and 2-8 in the NWC, having lost seven in a row.

The Pacific game will be part of a conference doubleheader, with the women’s contest tipping off at 6:00 p.m. beforehand.

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 both games Friday; see the George Fox links above.

* Upcoming Opponents:

Pacific (8-11, NWC 2-8, 7th T): The Boxers from Forest Grove, Ore., were picked to finish 9th in the pre-season NWC coaches’ poll ... The Boxers got off to a 7-2 start but have dropped their last seven in a row, the latest a 74-63 loss at Puget Sound on Jan. 28 despite 12 points each by Ernesto Mayz and Cameron Hayes and 10 by Coby Proctor ... Series record (since 1965): George Fox trails 41-43 (26-14 home, 15-29 road) ... The Bruins have won the last three meetings, including a 61-53 win in Forest Grove on Jan. 7 this year ... Pacific’s last win in the series was 72-69 in Forest Grove on Jan. 26, 2010 ... Pacific by the numbers: Scoring (63.4 ppg, 9th in the NWC), Defense (66.0 ppg, 4th), FG% (.454, 3rd), 3-pt FG% (.313, 9th), FT% (.676, 9th), Reb Avg. (33.3 rpg, 8th) ... The Boxers have three double-figure scorers: G Colin Wester (15.4 ppg, 6th), F Charles Mosley (10.8 ppg, 22nd), and G David Berney (10.0 ppg, 25th) ... F Dustin Bowser is the top rebounder (7.2 rpg, 5th) ... Wester is the assists leader (2.2 apg, 13th) ... Coach Tim Cleary (Carroll ‘94) is 12-32 to date in his 2nd season at Pacific ... Next game: Feb. 4 vs. Willamette, 8 p.m.

* Recent Games: Bruins Lose to Whits but Beat Pios in 4-Overtime Thriller

Jan. 27 - Whitworth 85, at George Fox 66

No. 11 Whitworth nailed 15 three-point baskets to pull away in the second half for an 85-66 win Friday, ending the Bruins’ five-game winning streak, their longest in six years.  The first half was tight throughout with six ties, six lead changes, and neither team holding more than a four-point lead.  Whitworth led 27-25 at halftime.  Two layups by Sean Atkins gave the Bruins a 29-28 lead early in the second half, but the Pirates’ Wae Gebbers scored 16 points in a seven-minute span as the Pirates built a 49-38 lead with 11:43 to play.  The Bruins cut the lead down to 10 at 57-47 on a pair of Atkins free throws with 8:20 left, but a 20-6 run over the next four minutes carried the Pirates to an insurmountable 77-53 advantage with 4:15 to go.  The Bruins, who were playing without No. 2 scorer A.J. Grant, who is out with a possible concussion, were no match for the Pirates’ accuracy, particularly in the second stanza.  Whitworth shot .621 (18-29) in the second half and .569 (29-51) for the game, and on three-pointers were 11-16 (.688) in the second half and .536 (15-28) overall.  Atkins and Anthony Sanchez led the Bruins with 14 points apiece, and Spencer Bolte scored 10 with a team-high five rebounds off the bench.  Mike Taylor handed out four assists.

Jan. 28 - Whitman 82, at George Fox 62

David Michaels poured in 40 points, including 22 in a row for his team at one stretch, as the Whitman Missionaries pulled away in the second half for an 82-62 victory over the Bruins Saturday.  The Bruins took an early lead with a 10-2 run that featured three free throws on one trip to the line by Mike Taylor and five points, including a three-pointer, by Anthony Sanchez.  The Missionaries rallied to go up 27-20 with 7:14 left in the half, but the Bruins answered with eight points in a row, the last six on two baskets and two free throws by Sean Atkins, to regain a 28-27 advantage with 4:44 left.  Whitman led 36-34 at the break.  Taylor drained a three to open the second half to give George Fox a 37-36 lead, and they also took one-point leads two more times, the last on two Atkins free throws for a 44-43 margin with 14:28 left - and then Michaels took over.  Having hit a layup that had given his team a temporary 43-42 lead, he scored 20 more consecutive points for the Missionaries over a 10 minute-span, hitting two free throws, three two-pointers, and four three-pointers as Whitman built a 63-50 lead with 5:12 left.  The Missionaries hit 15-17 free throws in the last five minutes to stay ahead. Atkins led a quartet of Bruins in double figures with 20 points, while Taylor added 13, Sanchez 12, and Spencer Bolte 11.  Atkins, Taylor, and Bolte all had four rebounds, Corey Clark handed out four assists, and Sanchez made five steals. 

Jan. 31 - at George Fox 116, Lewis & Clark 112 (4 OT)

In a record-setting four overtimes, the Bruins outlasted the Lewis & Clark Pioneers 116-112 Tuesday.  It was the longest home game in Bruin history; no George Fox home game had ever gone more than two overtimes.  It also equaled the longest game ever for the Bruins, a 123-116 win in four extra sessions at Linfield on Dec. 30, 1975.  L&C led 3-0 early, but the visitors did not lead again until the waning seconds of regulation.  Mike Taylor’s three for the Bruins tied it and started an 11-0 run that included a three and a layup by Corey Clark and a three by Anthony Sanchez.  The Bruins eventually extended that lead to 13 twice, and led 37-32 at the half.  The Pios tied the game again with 16:27 left in the second period, but the Bruins responded with an 8-0 run featuring a layup by Clark, a three by Sanchez, and a conventional three-point play by Clark to go up 53-45 with 13:55 remaining.  The Bruins maintained a lead between four and eight points over the next 13 minutes, but L&C made two quick steals in the last 23 seconds to take a stunning 79-78 lead with 14 seconds to go before Clark hit a free throw with seven ticks left to send the game into overtime tied at 79-79.  The first overtime ended at 90-90, the second at 98-98, and the third at 106-106 after Taylor swished a three at the buzzer to save the Bruins.  The Bruins took the lead for good in the fourth overtime when Taylor drained two free throws with 1:07 remaining for a 112-110 lead, and Cam Rier clinched the game with a three with 20 seconds to go.  Four George Fox players scored 20 or more points, setting a new record.  Taylor led the way with 30 points, Clark scored a career-high 25 (his previous best had been seven), Sanchez had a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds, and Sean Atkins scored 22.  Taylor handed out seven assists, and Atkins had five steals and two blocked shots.

BRUIN BITS:

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

A solid performance in each of the George Fox games this past week has earned wing Sean Atkins the Bruin Athletic Association Men’s Athlete of the Week award for the week of Jan. 23-29, his third award of the season, as well as honorable mention for the Northwest Conference Men’s Basketball Student-Athlete of the Week. 

Atkins, a sophomore from Longview, Wash., tied for the team lead in points with 14 in an 85-66 loss to 11th-ranked Whitworth on Jan. 27 as he hit 5-7 from the field and 4-4 from the line, along with 4 rebounds and 2 steals.  In an 82-62 loss to Whitman on Jan. 28, he scored a team-high 20 points, sinking 7-11 field goals (2-3 on three-pointers) and 4-4 free throws, with 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and a blocked shot.  For the week, he totaled 34 points (17.0 ppg) on 12-18 field goals (.667), including 2-3 (.667) on threes, and 8-8 free throws (1.000), with 8 rebounds (4.0 rpg), 4 steals (2.0 apg), and a blocked shot.

In the latest NWC statistics, Atkins ranks 2nd in blocked shots (1.0 bspg), 3rd in steals (2.0 spg), 5th in free throw pct. (.800), 10th in field goal pct. (.491), and 20th in scoring (11.5 ppg).  He also earned BAA and honorable mention NWC honors for Dec. 5-11 and Jan. 9-15.

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

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)

Jan. 23-29 - Sean Atkins (Basketball)