NEWBERG, Ore. --- The George Fox men's basketball team hosted its senior night festivities Saturday night at Miller Gym; honoring seniors Kalu Stricklin, Zac Schmerber, Brendan Ritschard, and Michael Landi, as the Bruins hosted the visiting Willamette Bearcats. The Bruins seniors, led by a career night from Kalu Stricklin, turned in an inspired effort to defend their home court.
How It Happened
The Bruins were summarily dominant in the first half. Both teams started fast offensively, quickly running out to a 12-11 Bruins lead in less than five minutes. After that, George Fox hit the accelerator, taking a 17-0 run over the next four minutes to make it 28-11 before the Bearcats would make another basket. Kalu Stricklin was at the heart of the George Fox effort, attacking the paint with reckless abandon at every opportunity, scoring 14 first half points, earning his way to eight free throw attempts. Willamette began to chip its way back into the game from there, cutting the Bruins' lead to as low as 11 points. George Fox wasn't content to keep the Bearcats at arm's length, instead stretching the lead to 19 points, 61-42, going into the locker room. Austin Clark and Brenden Ritschard were also effective from the floor in the opening period, adding nine and seven points each.
George Fox quickly stretched the lead past the 20-point mark in the opening moments of the second half. Both teams traded baskets and the Bruins maintained their lead through the first four minutes of the half when Stricklin provided a highlight-reel moment with an emphatic dunk with no defenders in his area. Just two minutes later, Stricklin surpassed his career high in scoring, reaching the 20-point mark to make it 75-53 with 13 minutes remaining. The Bearcats did their best to play a physical brand of basketball and fight their way back, but just under the 10 minute mark, Willamette earned a foul that caused a stir and a technical was assessed to the Bearcat bench. George Fox's trademark defense was on full display all night, holding the Bearcats to a dismal 13% shooting from outside the arc, doing their best to keep the game out of reach and finish the game out by the final margin of 108-94.
Top Performers
Stricklin turned in an inspired effort, putting up a career high in scoring, with 20 points on the night to go along with nine rebounds and two steals. Stricklin made sure to get his effort's worth on the night, fouling out with about five minutes to go in his final game on Taylor Court. Davon Walker ended up leading the Bruins in points with 23. Austin Clark added 14 points. Senior Brendan Ritschard finished up his final home game with 13 points and four assists.
Coach's Thoughts
"This was a great way to close our home schedule," coach Maco Hamilton said. "I was proud of the confidence our guys displayed in making plays throughout the game. It was great way to honor our seniors!"
What It Means
George Fox snapped a 4-game skid to earn the win on senior night and improve to 11-12 on the season and 6-8 in conference play. The Bruins seniors finished their careers on Taylor court with a victory as the class of 2022 combined for 40 total points on the night.
Up Next
The Bruins will finish off their season on a weekend road trip to Washington to take on the Whits, with Whitworth on Friday night before traveling to see Whitman on Saturday.
