Box Score

FOREST GROVE, Ore. – Alex Stockner inside and Evan Atwater outside combined for 44 points while hitting 15-22 shots from the field, lifting the George Fox University Bruins to an 85-68 victory over the Pacific University Boxers in a Northwest Conference men's basketball game Tuesday night here at the Pacific Athletic Center.

There were four lead changes and two ties in the first three minutes of the game before the Bruins forged ahead.  Stockner, who scored the Bruins' first six points on three inside baskets, put George Fox ahead for good with a free throw that made it 9-8 with 16:33 left.  The Boxers were still within a point at 14-13 after a free toss by Garold Howe with 13:58 remaining, but the Bruins went on a 23-11 tear over the rest of the half to take a 42-28 lead into the break.

With Stockner scoring 13 points on 6-8 shooting, the Bruins shot .533 (16-30) in the period while the Boxers struggled to a .343 mark (12-35).  Howe kept Pacific in the game with 11 first-half points.

Howe's layup to start the second half brought the Boxers within 12, but the Bruins answered with a three-pointer by Atwater, who had 13 in the final stanza, and two free throws by Stockner that boosted the Bruins to their largest lead of 17 points at 47-30 with 17:58 to play.  The Bruins' lead remained in double digits over the next five minutes before the Boxers took off on a 16-5 run, keyed by Howe's two three-pointers, to cut the deficit to 61-56 with 7:55 remaining.

The Bruins finally slowed the Boxers' comeback by scoring 10 unanswered points over the next two-and-a-half minutes on two Jack Martin free throws, a three by Atwater, three free tosses by Stockner, and another three by Atwater that made it 71-56.  In the final five minutes, the Bruins hit 6-6 from the free throw line and got comeback-killing threes from Martin and Ethan Brown, the last one completing the scoring.

Stockner scored 23 points for the Bruins, hitting 8-13 from the floor with 7-11 free throws, while Atwater had 21 on 7-9 shooting, including 4-4 on threes, and 3-4 from the line.  Martin added 17 points, hitting three from beyond the arc.  The Bruins finished with a .500 shooting mark (27-54) and hit .526 on threes (10-19).  Stockner had seven rebounds as the Bruins controlled the glass 42-32, Martin passed out five assists, and Joe Ahn picked up three steals.

Howe was a one-man army for the Boxers, hitting 12-21 from the field with a couple of threes and 5-5 from the line for 31 points.  Micah Mooney chipped in with 11 as the Boxers shot only .348 (23-66) for the game.  Howe also had a game-high nine boards, and Jonathan Jury had four assists. 

George Fox (8-14, NWC 4-9) visits Linfield College Saturday for its final road game of the season, while Pacific (8-13, NWC 3-10) is at Willamette University Friday.  Both games tip off at 8:00 p.m., following NWC women's games at 6:00 p.m.