NEWBERG, Ore. - Unable to sustain a fast start that saw them burst out to a 21-9 lead, the George Fox University Bruins allowed the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges Stags to come back late in the first half and go on to a 76-67 win over the Bruins in the men's basketball opener for both teams Friday night here at the Wheeler Sports Center's Miller Gym.

Jumpers by Stephen Wiseley and Rich Smith and a three-pointer by Dan Lingenfelder gave the Bruins a 7-0 lead two minutes into the game.  Chris Blees, the 2008-09 Player of the Year in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, gave the defending SCIAC champion Stags their first points on a layup at the 17:43 mark, but the Bruins remained hot.  Lingenfelder hit a layup and another three to spearhead a 14-7 stretch that gave the Bruins their largest advantage of 21-9 with 11 minutes remaining.

From that point on to the end of the first half, the Stags out-scored the Bruins 30-10, getting points on 14 of 15 possessions, to take a 39-31 lead into halftime.  Leading the comeback was Connor Faught, who scored 10 of his game-high 22 points off the bench in that stretch.

Claremont remained ahead throughout the second half, though the Bruins did close within one at 43-42 on a putback by Smith with 15:30 left.  Faught then took over again, hitting a three, a layup, and all three free throws after being fouled on a long-range attempt in a 10-0 run that boosted the Stags to a 53-42 lead with 13:17 remaining.  George Fox climbed back within four at 69-65 on a pair of freebies by Wiseley with 1:48 to go, but a layup by Blees and five of seven free throws in the final minute enabled the Stags to hang on.

Wiseley with 21 points, Alex Stockner with 16, and Smith with 13 led the Bruins, but all three fouled out and the Bruins got only two points from their bench all night.  Lingenfelder finished with 10 points.  Smith had a double-double with a game-high 15 rebounds, while Wisely passed out seven assists and had five steals.

Faught led all scorers with 22 and Blees added 16, along with a team-high seven rebounds, to lead the Stags.  Jason Toney handed out four assists, and Faught made four steals.  With the field goal percentages, free throw shooting and turnovers virtually even in the contest, it was the rebounding that made the difference.  Claremont's 39-24 advantage, including 15 offensive boards, enabled the Stags to get nine more shots and five more field goals in a nine-point win.

NOTES: George Fox (1-0) next hosts Corban College in a non-conference match Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ... Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (1-0) continues its Pacific Northwest trip with a visit to Willamette University Saturday for a 7:00 p.m. contest.