PORTLAND, Ore. – The George Fox Bruins men's basketball team found themselves up by as much as 16 with less than ten minutes to go in the game, and were sure to hold onto the lead during a last-second run by the Lewis & Clark Pioneers to win, 91-84. 

How It Happened
The game opened up with a Samuel Stewart IV block —- a preview of what was to come for the rest of the first half — with Momo Stokes finishing off the Stewart IV rejection with a layup on the other end. A stifling Bruins defense lent itself to a potent George Fox offensive attack in the first half; the Bruins shot 64% from the field with eight steals. 

Fox led for just under 18 minutes of the 20-minute half, dominating the game in all areas. The game opened up for Fox after the 11-minute mark with the beginning of a four-minute, 12-1 run for the Bruins that saw them increase their lead to 28-14, with five Bruins scoring during the run. The rest of the half would be much more even scoring-wise, but the last lead the Bruins built for themselves padded themselves from any Pio's effort. George Fox went into halftime leading Lewis & Clark, 47-28. 

Early on in the second half the Bruins went up by 20, leading 53-33 after a Kade Sorenson free throw. The Pios continued to try and chip away at the Bruins lead, but George Fox played well enough throughout the frame to keep them at arm's length. With 8:40 left in the game, GFU was up by 16 points and looked as though they could cruise to the finish for their first conference win of the young season. 

The Pioneers wouldn't say die, however, and unleashed a 7-0 run using two threes from Mikey Medlock Jr.. Medlock would bring them within ten with a third triple moments later, with Bruins still up, 77-70. The momentum seemed to be swinging towards the Pioneers, but the Bruins were locked in from the free throw line to close out the game; though they were outscored by five points in a wild last three minutes, they went 13-16 from the free throw line to golf off the Pios and win, 91-84. 

Top Performances
Freshman Aiden Price continued his impressive start to his collegiate career with a 23-point performance on an incredibly efficient 10-12 shooting. Veteran Momo Stokes had arguably his best game of the season, scoring 21 points, and hitting several key free throws late in the game to help the Bruins ice out the win. 

Coach's Thoughts
"I'm very proud of our guys' effort and energy defensively tonight," Bruin assistant coach Brendan Jones said after the game, "it set the tone in the first half and allowed us to get a quality conference win."

What It Means
The Bruins continue their hot start and improve to 5-2 (1-0 NWC), and Lewis & Clark falls to 2-4 (0-1 NWC). Fox's 5-2 start is the best for the men's basketball program since 2018.

What Comes Next
The Bruins return to their home court, playing the Puget Sound Loggers Saturday night in Newberg at the Wheeler Sports Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.