Box Score

SALEM, Ore. — The George Fox men's basketball team traveled to face Willamette and came away winners as they reached 100 points for the first time in 2021-22 with a 100-91 win over the Bearcats.

How It Happened

The Bruins raced out to an early 16-3 lead after the opening six minutes of action and forced the Bearcats to play at their pace from the jump, imposing their will on the game on each end of the floor. The Bearcats rallied midway through the first half and were able to eat into the Bruins' 15-point lead, but at the half Fox found itself ahead 45-37 after generating 20 points from their bench and forcing turnovers at key moments.

The Bearcats shrunk the lead to two points after three minutes had gone by in the second half, but the Bruins answered back in the ensuing moments to make it an 11-point game, 62-51, with 14 minutes left to play. From there, Fox cruised to a nine-point win as the Bearcats hung in shot for shot but never closed the gap down the stretch in a 100-91 final.

Top Performances

Kalu Stricklin and Brendan Ritschard led with 18 points apiece on a combined 13-19 performance from the field, and Adam Damian added 16 off the bench. Zac Schmerber (14) and Chris Nickelberry (10) joined them in double figures, and Ritschard also paced the team in rebounds (7), assists (5), and steals (2).

As a team, the Bruins shot 56% from the floor and nearly 62% from deep with 13 made triples.

Coach's Thoughts

"We've got guys stepping up big time!" coach Maco Hamilton said. "It's so cool to see our depth and connectivity showing up in these games. This is a great win for us against a very talented and difficult team to play."

What It Means

The Bruins improve to 8-5 overall and have won their last three in a row, moving to 3-1 against NWC opponents this year. Willamette falls to 4-9 overall and is now 1-5 against NWC squads this year.

Up Next

Fox finishes out the weekend by hosting Linfield on Saturday, Jan. 15, at 6:00 pm in Miller Gym.