NEWBERG ---The George Fox men's basketball team closed its 2019-20 season with a battle against the Puget Sound Loggers in Tacoma, Wash., falling 92-94 in the closing minutes after battling back from a 15-point deficit.

Recap

The Loggers won the opening tip and built an early 9-5 lead after trading buckets with the Bruins in the first five minutes. With treys from Michael Mercado-Smith and Levi Dalzell, the Bruins were able to hang tight with their hosts until the midway mark of the first half.

A layup from JD Ahlstrom cut the Loggers' lead to three with 11:40 left to play, but Puget Sound began to pull away after that. A 16-7 Logger run put the home squad in front, 35-23, with just under eight minutes left in the half, and the Loggers took a 49-39 lead into the locker room at the break.

Out of the break, the Bruins began to find their footing and cut into the lead with buckets by Ahlstrom, Jackson Januik, and Emilio Mancol. A pair of free throws and a lay-in from Matthew Dirckx made it a four-point deficit, and the Bruins kept up the fight through the midpoint of the second half to gain control of the game.

A triple from Januik gave the Bruins their first lead since the opening minutes and capped a 30-18 blitz through the first 12 minutes of the second half. The Bruins kept the pressure on and widened the gap, but they were not able to hold the lead through the final buzzer.

George Fox found itself in front 86-78 with just under four minutes remaining, but the Loggers' All-NWC forward Stellan Roberts poured in three straight treys and a layup to help his team retake the lead in the closing seconds. Another series of Logger foul shots combined with a handful of empty possessions for Fox was enough to sink the Bruins' comeback effort in the closing minutes.

Top Performers

Ryan Lacey led the way with 21 points on a fantastic 8-12 shooting performance. Januik, Ahlstrom, and Mancol joined Lacey in double-digits, while Mercado-Smith turned in nine points, two assists, and four boards in his last game as a Bruin.

What It Means

The Bruins' season comes to a close with an 8-17 overall record and a 4-12 record in conference play to close the 2019-20 season.