FOREST GROVE, Ore. --- The George Fox men's basketball team officially kicked off its 2021-22 season on Friday, Nov. 19, with an 85-76 win over St. Thomas (Texas) at the Ken Schumann Classic hosted by Pacific (Ore.).
How It Happened
The Celts won the tip but Fox immediately turned them over and grabbed an early 4-2 lead. Back-to-back layups by Momo Stokes pushed that lead to 15-8 with seven minutes gone by in the game, and while the Celts cut into the lead, they never overtook Fox.
Zac Schmerber capped an 8-0 run with a layup to make it 27-18 with six minutes left in the half, and at the break the Bruins led 46-31.
Davon Walker added the Bruins' first points of the second half with a layup and Fox pushed out to a 16-point lead with a Schmerber triple. The Celts ripped off an 8-0 run to close the gap and got the Bruins' lead down to three, 57-54, with 12 minutes left to play, but Fox was able to bounce back.
The nearest that the Celts would get again was a five-point gap with four minutes to play, but the Bruins held off the rally attempt in a nine-point victory with the 85-76 final.
Top Performances
Schmerber chipped in a team-high 14 points on 6-8 shooting, including 2-2 from deep. Walker and Stokes tied for second in scoring with 13 apiece after shooting a combined 11-17 from the floor. Kalu Stricklin, Zach Sly, and James Moore led the Bruins' gang rebounding effort with five boards each.
Coach's Thoughts
"I loved how we came out and demonstrated physical and mental toughness," coach Maco Hamilton said of the win. "Our execution defensively was great and allowed us to get out to a comfortable lead. Our inexperience showed much of the second half, however we were resilient and fought off several runs to find a way to win. A great start for us against a quality opponent!"
What It Means
George Fox is 1-0 to start the season and should have a favorable matchup tomorrow to close out the Classic.
Up Next
The Bruins will face Evergreen State (Wash.), an NAIA opponent, on the second day of the Classic. Tipoff is slated for 4:00 pm once again in the Boxers' gym.
