By: Jake Bienvenue

WALLA WALLA --- The George Fox men's basketball team took on the No. 2-ranked Whitman Blues on Friday, dropping the conference matchup on the road, 107-84.

Recap:

Jackson Januik and JD Ahlstrom had it going for the Bruins early, combining for the team's first 10 points.

The game opened up neck-in-neck, but five straight points from Kalu Stricklin gave George Fox a narrow 15-14 lead with 13:23 left in the half.

The Bruins were competitive with the Blues through the first period. Januik rattled off five straight to set the score at 25-24 in favor of George Fox with 5:18 left in the opening frame.

Although Whitman was able to get into the groove of its offense at the tail end of the first, Mason Green-Richards got going as well, scoring five points in the final minutes.

Whitman led by a narrow margin heading into the break, 41-37.

The Bruins came out swinging in the second half, dropping six points in just over a minute to cut the lead to just two, 45-43.

The Blues' high-powered offense rattled off an 11-0 run to spark their offense, and the Bruins had a difficult time responding to the onslaught.

Down 84-56 with just under 10 minutes left, the Bruins turned to Green-Richards, who quickly found the bottom of the net from behind the line as well as in the midrange to give the visiting team some life against their ranked opponents.

Green-Richards pulled off a similar feat with under four minutes left, scoring five straight for the Bruins. It was ultimately not enough to pull off the upset on the road, however, as George Fox dropped a tough one, 107-84.

Top Performers:

Three Bruins found their way into double-figures in this one. Green-Richards led the way, pouring in 19 points to go along with four rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Januik contributed 15 and Ryan Lacey chipped in 14.

What It Means:

The Bruins move to 6-7 in conference play and 12-10 overall.

What Comes Next:

The Bruins take on No. 15 Whitworth on the road on Saturday, February 9 at 6:00 pm.