Box Score

NEWBERG, Ore. - Despite the 1,000th career point by George Fox University point guard Brent Satern, the upset-minded Bruins were unable to prevent Whitworth University from earning its second straight Northwest Conference men's basketball crown as the visiting Pirates rallied for a 77-69 win Friday night here at the Wheeler Sports Center's Miller Gym.

The Pirates, who shared last year's title with Lewis & Clark College, will not have to split the honor this year as the University of Puget Sound, which needed to win both of its final games to catch Whitworth, was defeated at home 87-67 by Lewis & Clark. The Pirates end the regular season with a 19-6 overall mark, a 12-4 conference record, and will host the NWC Tournament final next Saturday. The Bruins fell to 8-16 overall and 4-11 in the conference, and conclude their season Saturday at 6:00 p.m. at home against Whitman College.

George Fox exploded out of the opening gate against Whitworth, Evan Atwater and Satern bracketing a 12-2 run with three-pointers that gave the Bruins a 10-point advantage five minutes into the game. They eventually built it to a 12-pint bulge at 19-7 on a three by Travis Toedtemeier with 12:45 left in the half before the Pirates mounted a steady, methodical comeback. A pair of Ryan Symes free throws pulled the Pirates within one at 25-24 with 2:47 to go, but key threes by Atwater and Grant Vahalla enabled the Bruins to take a 32-30 lead into halftime.

The Pirates finally tied the game 40-40 on a three by Symes with 15:40 left, and took their first lead of 42-40 with 14:43 to go on two Symes free throws after a technical on the Bruins' Atwater. Ross Nakamura added a three for a 45-40 Whitworth lead, and the Pirates maintained a slim lead until late in the game. Four times the Bruins got within two points, the last at 67-65 on a layup by Satern with 2:24 remaining, but Symes hit two more free throws at 1:07, David Riley nailed a three from the right wing with 44 seconds left, and Colin Willemsen added two freebies with 35 seconds to go, making it 74-65 and effectively sealing the win.

Satern led the Bruins with 20 points, his layup for the final points with six seconds left giving him exactly 1,000 for his career and making him the 33rd player in George Fox history to reach that number. He also passed out a game-high seven assists. Atwater added 16 points, including four three-pointers, and a team-high six rebounds.

Symes led all scorers with 22 points, including 15-16 from the free throw line, where the Pirates hit 27 of 34 attempts to 11 of 15 for the Bruins. Riley added 19 points, including four threes, Willemsen had 14, and Nakamura chipped in with 10. Willemsen, Calvin Jurich, and Tim Sellereit had seven rebounds apiece as Whitworth held a 31-24 edge on the glass. Nakamura passed out four assists.