By: Jake Bienvenue

SPOKANE, Wash. --- The George Fox men's basketball team travelled to Spokane Friday to take on the nationally-ranked Whitworth Pirates, losing the contest, 90-71.

Recap:
The Whitworth offense went on a run early, gaining a six-point lead in the opening minutes.

Sophomore big man Dylan Hamlett was able to secure two buckets in the paint to cut the deficit to just two.

The opposing offenses continued to trade blows, but neither team was able to pull ahead and the game was tied at 14-14 with 11 minutes left in the half.

Johnathan Doutt and Mason Green-Richards got hot from behind the arc, hitting two long balls apiece in the first half of the contest.

The Bruins trailed the pirates at half, 49-36.

Green-Richards continued his hot shooting in the second half, sinking two of his three shots from deep. The Pirates ended the game with a comfortable lead despite the Bruins recording a higher percentage from beyond the arc.

Top Performers:
The Bruins registered three players in double-digits tonight: Hamlett (12), Doutt (10), and Green-Richards (18). All three players shot over 50% from the field and Doutt and Green-Richards only missed a single three-point attempt each.

What It Means:
With the loss, the Bruins fall to 10-14 on the season and 8-7 in the Northwest Conference. The Bruins weren't the only ones to fall Friday night, as both Pacific Lutheran and Lewis & Clark dropped both its games. With those two schools losing, the Bruins have secured a spot in the NWC Tournament for the first time since the 2012-13 season. The Bruins have a chance to clinch the No. 3 seed with a win Saturday over Whitman. If Linfield defeats Willamette and the Bruins lose to Whitman, the Bruins will take the No. 4 seed and the 'Cats will take the No. 3 seed. If both teams lose, the Bruins will fall short in the tiebreaker and remain at the No. 4 seed.

What Comes Next:
The Bruins take on Whitman tomorrow at 6:00pm in their final regular-season matchup.