McMINNVILLE, Ore. -- The George Fox Bruins kicked off their conference play on the road on Friday night, falling to the defending NWC regular-season champion Linfield Wildcats, 74-85.

How It Happened
Fox jumped out to a lead early in the half, leading by as many as seven at multiple points of the period due to superb shooting — the Bruins shot 50% from deep and hit 11 treys. However, the Wildcats answered with a 7-0 run of their own to take a 45-43 lead into the halftime locker room.

The Bruins kept the game close with the Wildcats, holding the deficit between two and five points for most of the second. The tides shifted, though, after a Chris Nickelberry layup cut the lead to two with 12 minutes remaining — following that moment, the Bruins would be held without a field goal for nearly eight minutes. Linfield took advantage of the dry spell, and the Bruins were unable to overcome the deficit, losing 85-74. 

On the day, Fox shot 22-54 for the floor, including 13-31 from behind the arc. The Bruins combined for 25 rebounds, six steals, and two blocks, but gave up 12 offensive rebounds and 14 second-chance points to the Wildcats.

Top Performances
Guards Momo Stokes and Davon Walker led the Bruins in scoring, putting up 15 and 14 points, respectively. Forward Adam Damian also contributed 14 to the Bruin's effort, with the three leading scorers combining for 13-27 from the field and 8-16 from three. Additionally, Stokes and Walker collected two steals each, with Chris Nickelberry also collecting a block and a steal.      

Coach's Thoughts
Soon to come.

What It Means
The Bruins move to 1-6 on the year and 0-1 in conference play, as Linfield improves to 3-2 with an 0-1 NWC mark.

What Comes Next
The Bruins square off against the Willamette Bearcats tomorrow, Dec. 3, at 6:00 p.m. in Salem.