PORTLAND, Ore. --- The George Fox men's basketball team started 2016 on a high note, as the Bruins beat the Pioneers of Lewis & Clark, 77-73.

Recap:
The Bruins got off to a strong start in the opening minutes, knocking down 4-7 of their shots and shooting 57.1 percent from the field to take a 9-5 lead at the 15:15 mark. The momentum continued for the remainder of the half, as the Bruins never gave the Pioneers an inch. The Bruins pace picked up with five minutes left in the first half, and most of that came from the three-point line. George Fox finished the half shooting 58.3 percent from the three-point line (7-12), and Thomas Rico was the main reason. Rico went 4-6 from behind the arc and knocked the down his fourth three of the game at the buzzer to give the Bruins a 44-27 lead at the break.

The Bruins held the Pioneers to a 28.6 percent shooting clip from the field (8-28). George Fox also netted 15 of its 44 first half points from the bench. Willie Perkins being the main benefactor with seven.

The Pioneers came out red hot in the second half and cut the deficit to 10, 49-39, at the 15:52 mark. After shooting 28.6 percent in the first half, the Pioneers shot 83.3 percent (5-6) in the first five minutes of the second. The fouls started to play a factor for the Bruins as they rang up five team fouls to the Pioneers zero after seven minutes of play.

The Bruins weathered the storm of the Pioneers run, and hit back-to-back threes courtesy of Johnathan Doutt and JJ Lacey to give the Bruins a nine point lead, 57-48. The flow of the game was steady and physical as both teams continued to trade baskets back and forth.

With 1:22 left on the clock, the Bruins dug down deep and forced two Pioneer turnovers to increase their lead to eight after Lacey went 4-4 from the line, 72-64. LCC did everything in its power to try to regain momentum, but the Bruins stopped every effort put forth by the Pioneers.

The Bruins finished the game going 9-10 from the free throw line.

Top Performers:
Thomas Rico led the way with 21 points, going 7-15 from the field and 5-9 from behind the arc. JJ Lacey wasn't far behind with 14 points of his own, and Ryan Thistlewood added 11. The Bruins finished the night shooting 42.2 percent from the field and 55.6 percent from the three-point line.

What It Means:
The Bruins start the 2016 off strong and earn their first win in conference play improving to 4-8 overall and 1-2 in the NWC.

What Comes Next:
With little rest, the Bruins host Pacific Lutheran on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. in Wheeler Sports Center.