Box Score
NEWBERG, Ore. – Junior post Alex Stockner scored 25
points, including a 13-14 effort from the free throw line that was
one miss short of a new George Fox University record, as the Bruins
hung on for a 77-71 win over the Whitman College Missionaries in a
Northwest Conference men's basketball game Saturday evening
here at the Wheeler Sports Center's Miller Gym.
Stockner's only miss of the night, after making his first
12, left him just short of Justin Paola's record percentage
of 1.000 when he went 13-13 against Western Oregon University on
Feb. 12, 1994. Stockner also narrowly missed the
Bruin record for best free throw percentage with a miss of .933
(14-15), achieved three times in team history.
The Bruins needed those free throws, too, particularly late in the
game as the Missionaries nearly rallied from a 20-point
deficit. After Juan Pablo Alvarez gave Whitman
its only lead with a free throw to open the game, Stockner hit a
layup to put the Bruins in front for good, igniting a 16-3 outburst
that was capped by a Jack Martin three-pointer for a 16-4 George
Fox lead with 12:18 left in the first half.
The Bruins' lead drifted between 8-12 points over the next
four minutes before they began to pull away. Two
free throws by Stockner gave the Bruins their largest lead at 40-20
with 3:07 left, but the Missionaries ended the half with a 10-3
run, seven off them by Brandon Shaw, to close within 43-30 at the
break.
George Fox sizzled from the field in the first 20 minutes, hitting
.560 (14-25) to only .281 (9-32) for Whitman.
Stockner had 16 points at the half, while Shaw kept his team in the
game with 15 points.
The Bruins maintained a double-digit lead through the first 15
minutes of the second half and were up by 17 at 65-48 with 7:55
left after a trey by Dan Lingenfelder. The
Missionaries rallied with a 10-0 run, featuring threes by Chris
Faidley and Shaw, that brought the visitors within seven at 65-58
with 3:24 to go.
Stockner hit two free throws with 1:09 left for a 72-64 Bruin
lead, but a jumper in the lane by Faidley and two freebies by David
Michaels made it a 72-68 game with 15 seconds
left. The Bruins inbounded the ball to Stockner,
and Jordan Wheeler was called for a flagrant foul on Stockner,
which provoked two technicals from Whitman coach Eric
Bridgeland. Stockner then went to the line with
11 seconds left for six free throws, hit the first four, missed
one, and then hit the final one for a 77-68 Bruin
lead. Wheeler's three with three seconds
to play was the Missionaries' last gasp.
Stockner was 6-7 from the field in addition to his 13-14 game at
the line for the Bruins, who ended up shooting .521 (25-48) from
the floor for the game. Evan Atwater and
Lingenfelder, who shot 4-5 with three treys, scored 12 points
apiece, and Brady Strutz added 10.
Atwater's eight rebounds led the Bruins to a 40-34 advantage
on the boards. Martin handed out six
assists.
Shaw finished with a game-high 26 for the Missionaries, who shot
.328 (20-61) on field goals for the game.
Faidley added 14, almost eight below his average, but it was enough
to move him into fourth place in career points at Whitman with
1,614, passing Dave Mastin. Wheeler added
12. Faidley and Alvarez grabbed seven rebounds
each, and Wheeler passed out three assists.
George Fox (7-12, NWC 3-7) hosts Lewis & Clark College while
Whitman (7-12, NWC 3-7) welcomes Linfield College Friday, both
games at 8:00 p.m. NWC women's games will
precede at 6:00 p.m.
