By Jacob Hayes

NEWBERG --- The George Fox men's basketball team played host for the Loggers of Puget Sound on Friday, Jan. 24, and lost a heartbreaker late by a final score of 85-76.

Recap

The Bruins got on the board quick after winning the tip, going on a quick 8-0 run. Quinn Lacey took a defensive rebound the full length of the court for a lay-up and his brother Ryan Lacey made a baseline jumper shortly after. The Loggers quickly made the score 10-6, but some scrappy defense turned into multiple Logger turnovers, extending the George Fox lead to 21-12 at the 10:29 mark.

By the next media timeout, both teams started to find their stroke from outside. Puget Sound hit two threes to cut the lead, but Ryan Lacey and JD Ahlstrom hit threes of their own, holding the lead at 30-24. The Loggers kept up the pace and chipped away the the Bruin's lead, getting within five, but a three from Jackson Januik kept the Bruins ahead, 39-31. The Loggers played well going into the half, but a late three from Ryan kept the lead at seven, 46-39.

The second half opened with an explosion from the Loggers, hitting two threes to cut the lead to one, 50-49. Out of a Bruins timeout, Puget Sound took the lead off another three while and added to it going up 59-54. The Bruins didn't let the lead change get to them as Januik and Kalu Stricklin lead three fast break possessions to bring it back within two, 66-64.

George Fox kept the score within two or three until about the five minute mark, when the Loggers pulled ahead 78-70 after capitalizing on good defense and the Bruins' shot selection. Tenacious GFU defense made it hard for the Loggers to seal the game, but the Bruins continued to turn the ball over and resorted to the foul game in the final minutes. Both teams shot identical percentages from the field on equal shot attempts and also played to a near-draw in team turnovers, steals, and rebounds, but by the end the Loggers prevailed 85-76.

Top Performers
Ryan Lacey led the Bruins in scoring, dropping 23 points on 8-19 shooting with seven rebounds and three assists. He also made some personal history, scoring his 1000th career point in the closing moments of the first half to join his older brother JJ on the Bruins' 1000-point list. Januik followed suit with 19 points, six rebounds, and team-high five steals. Zach Sly led the Bruin scorers off the bench, scoring six on 3-5 with three rebounds and two blocks.

What It Means
George Fox dropped its fourth straight NWC matchup, falling to 2-5 in conference play and 6-10 overall.

Even in defeat, Coach Maco Hamilton was still happy for his junior wing, Lacey, on the scoring achievement. "It's a great feat and an awesome accomplishment," Hamilton said. "For him to hit 1000, join his brother, and become our fourth straight 1000-point guy [JJ Lacey in 2017, Thomas Rico in 2018, Mason Green-Richards in 2019] is a great thing to watch."

What Happens Next

The Bruins go on the road to face the Pios of Lewis & Clark on Saturday, January 25th. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00.