NEWBERG, Ore. — The George Fox men's basketball team took a tough home loss against NWC opponent Pacific Lutheran on Saturday Night, as the Lutes walked away with an 83-72 victory over the Bruins at Miller Gym.
How It Happened
The Bruins and Lutes were fairly even for the vast majority of the first half. Both squads went basket-for-basket all the way through the first ten minutes of action. George Fox rode a 10-2 run to nose ahead 24-18 with just under ten to play in the half. Both teams were shooting about 45% from the floor throughout the half. George Fox hit five three-pointers in the opening period as the Bruins perimeter game buoyed their offense against PLU's size on the inside that kept George Fox out of the paint. The Lutes took a one-point advantage at the four minute mark in the half and began to take control of the game a bit, extending the lead to 41-36 at the break.
In the second half, PLU was very efficient offensively, hitting 60% of their field goal tries. The Lutes went on an 8-2 run to start the half to make it a double digit lead with 16 to play. George Fox fought hard offensively throughout the half, as Zac Schmerber, James Moore, and Austin Clark all buried shots from deep to try to cut into the Lutes lead but Pacific Lutheran took advantage of their size down low and found lots of baskets in the paint thanks to Brandin Reidel and Jordan Thomas, whose collective size was too much for the Bruins to stop down the stretch defensively, and the Lutes held on by a score of 83-72.
Top Performers
Davon Walker led the way offensively for the Bruins with 16 points and five assists, shooting 7-for-12 with a pair of threes. Brendan Ritschard and James Moore each added 11 points and four rebounds apiece for the Bruins to round out the double-figure scorers for George Fox.
What It Means
George Fox saw its conference losing streak extend to three games with the loss and the Bruins fell 10-11 overall and 5-7 in conference play.
Up Next
The Bruins visit Linfield on Friday with tip scheduled for 8 pm.
