NEWBERG, Ore. — George Fox men's basketball held off a late rally from Whitman to come away winners on Friday, Jan. 21, with a 66-58 final on their home court.

How It Happened

Both teams slugged it out from the jump in a low-scoring game and jockeyed for advantages on each possession from start to finish. Each side matched up well on paper, tying on the night in points in the paint (34), rebounds (36) and playing nearly to a draw in assists, foul shots, turnovers, and steals.

The game was ultimately decided by hustle as Fox won the reserve minutes, 20-13, and came up with rebounds and steals at key moments late in the game. After 10 ties and 11 lead changes, the Bruins got a pair of lay-ups from Davon Walker to break a 47-47 tie with seven minutes left, and two late triples from Zac Schmerber gave Fox a lead that the Blues couldn't come back from in the closing minutes.

Top Performances

Schmerber continues to shred NWC opponents this season, dropping 19 points on 8-11 shooting with three treys on four tries from deep. Brendan Ritschard joined him in double figures with 12 points and 11 rebounds in his first collegiate double-double performance. As a team, the Bruins limited Whitman to 18% from three on the night - including just 1-9 in the second half - and held the Blues 15 points below their scoring average in the win.

Coach's Thoughts

"Whitman has been playing as well as anyone in the conference in the month of January, so we knew our attention to detail had to be locked in," coach Maco Hamilton said. "I was pleased with our defensive focus, and we had guys step up and do what ball players do, which is make plays late in the game. Exciting win for us!"

What It Means

The Bruins improve to 9-6 overall and are 4-2 in NWC action to stay in the top four in the conference standings, pushing Whitman down to fifth in the NWC with a 7-9 overall record and a 5-3 mark against conference schools.

Up Next

Fox wraps up 'Whit' weekend with a test against Whitworth at 6:00 pm in Newberg on Saturday, Jan. 22.