TACOMA, Wash. — The George Fox men's basketball team's late comeback run came up just short in a 67-62 loss to NWC rival Puget Sound in Tacoma Saturday night. The Loggers' five point halftime lead ultimately made the difference between the two teams after a 36-36 second half led to the Bruins falling to 1-1 in NWC play to start the season. 

How it Happened

The Bruins entered the matchup with Puget Sound coming off of an emotional, breakneck-paced home victory on Friday night. Saturday's contest wasn't nearly as high-octane in its tempo. It took nearly seven minutes of game time for either team to break double digits as both teams' defense settled in while shots were falling few and far between. Puget Sound ultimately started to settle in from the field and went into the locker room with a 31-26 advantage, shooting 12-for-24 from the floor while George Fox was 8-for-29 with the Bruins' ability to get to the free throw line keeping them close. 

The Bruins' full court pressure was much more effective at creating opportunities in the second half, George Fox forced 12 second half turnovers from the Loggers. The Bruins' aggression defensively would come back to bite them because they sent the Loggers to the free throw line for 21 attempts, of which Puget Sound converted 13. 

The Bruins nearly clipped the Loggers with about three minutes to go and a 59-58 lead before the Loggers came away with seven unanswered points to put the game out of reach.

Top Performers

Zac Schmerber was efficient from the field, hitting 41% from the floor and going 4-for-8 from deep for a team-high 14 points. Kalu Stricklin tacked on 12 more on 40% shooting to go with four steals and nine rebounds in the contest.

Coach's Thoughts

Soon to Come

What it Means

The Bruins fall to 1-1 in NWC play with the loss, and 3-4 on the season. 

Up Next

George Fox will be back in non-conference action on Friday as they travel to California to take on the University of La Verne. Tip is scheduled for 7:00 pm.