PORTLAND, Ore. – Returning to Northwest Conference play a month after going 1-1 on their first conference foray through eastern Washington in early December, the George Fox University Bruins dropped a 75-56 decision to the Lewis & Clark College Pioneers in men's basketball action Tuesday night here at the Pamplin Sports Center.

George Fox took a quick 6-0 lead less than a minute into the game on consecutive three-pointers by Mike Taylor and Jon Adrian, but the Pioneers answered with 10 straight points as five different players scored two points apiece.  The home team never trailed again, though the Bruins did climb back within one at 11-10 following an Anthony Sanchez fast-break layup with 12:41 to go in the half.

Three-pointers by Scott Pisapia, P.J. Taylor, and Marcus Wells keyed a 15-6 run that gave the Pios their largest lead of the half at 26-16 with 6:36 left.  Sean Atkins twice pulled the Bruins within three in the period, the first on a trey that made it 28-25 and the second on a pair of free throws to make it 30-27 with 1:44 to play, but two Caron Rayford freebies and a three by James Hollins gave the Pios a 35-27 halftime advantage.

Despite shooting only .333 (10-30) from the field in the first half, the Bruins were still in the game as they limited the Pioneers to a .351 (13-37) mark defensively.  However, while the Bruins continued to struggle to put the ball in the hole in the second half, the Pios had no trouble and pulled away by making .536 (15-28) from the floor in the second half, including .600 (6-10) from beyond the arc.

Through the first six minutes of the final period, the Lewis & Clark lead varied between eight and five points.  A jumper by Atkins cut the L&C lead to 43-38 with 14 minutes remaining, but two baskets by Erickson and a trio of long-range daggers by Hollins fueled a 13-3 outburst that put the Pios up 56-41 with 11:05 left.  The Bruins got no closer than 10 the rest of the way, for the third and final time at 60-50 on a layup by Taylor with 7:46 to go, but the Pios closed the game with another 15-6 run.  The final score was the largest margin of the game.

Taylor led the Bruins with 18 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, while Atkins added 10 points and Cam Rier nine.  The Bruins finished with a .350 shooting percentage (21-60), hit .238 (5-21) from beyond the arc, and managed only half their free throws (9-18). 

Wells led all scorers with 19 points for the Pioneers, while Hollins and Erickson each had double-doubles, Hollins with 17 points and 12 rebounds and Erickson with 17 and 10.  Wells also handed out four assists.  The Pios shot .431 overall (28-65), including .400 (10-25) from three-point range, and canned .818 (9-11) from the charity stripe.  They also owned a 48-37 advantage on the boards.

NEXT: George Fox (4-8, NWC 1-2) plays its fourth straight conference road game Saturday at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Ore., tipping off at 8:00 p.m. … Lewis & Clark (6-6, NWC 1-2) entertains Linfield College Friday at 8:00 p.m. … Both games will be part of NWC doubleheaders, with the women's games preceding the men's games at 6:00 p.m.