ATLANTA – Momo Stokes hit a clutch bucket and a pair of free throws late in the game to help his George Fox men's basketball upset the No. 14 Emory Eagles on their home court, 85-82, to pick up their second ranked win of the season.

How It Happened
The Bruins offense got off to a slow start, missing their first eight shots from the field to start the game; despite the misses, Fox found their way to the charity stripe, using their free throws and stout defense to hang around and eventually take an early 6-4 lead. Both teams battled foul trouble for the entire game, but the Bruins were able to take advantage of Emory's woes, as they ended up making more free throws than Emory attempted (GFU went 25-35, and EU went 17-24). 

Though a James Moore three with ten minutes left in the first half put George Fox up by six points, the Eagles would battle back minutes later, tying the game at 25 with eight minutes left. The game would stay close for a long stretch before the Bruins went on a two-minute run that saw them jump out to a seven-point lead – the largest lead for either team in the first half – with two minutes left in the half. The Eagles stormed back though with a run of their own, and the buzzer would end the half with GFU down by one point, 44-43. The Bruins had made a statement in the first half that they were not afraid of the nationally ranked Eagles and had an opportunity to improve to 2-0 on the season against ranked opponents – the Bruins beat then No. 23 Claremont Mudd Scripps 88-84 earlier this season.

The Bruins came out of the break focused, as Moore opened the half with a quick three to give the Bruins a 46-44 lead. Samuel Stewart IV followed that up with a dunk a minute later, and Stokes hit a pair of buckets in response to Emory's makes, giving Fox a four-point lead four minutes into the second half, 53-49. 

The two teams went back and forth for much of the half, but one of the biggest storylines was the foul trouble that the squads found themselves in early: both teams were in the double bonus around the halfway mark of the second half, which allowed the Bruins to get many easy points. As the seconds ticked away during regulation, neither team had been able to lead by more than six – which the Bruins did twice, at the 12 and 11-minute mark – but the Eagles started to gain momentum late in the game.

After an impressive block by their leading scorer, Jair Knight, and a putback dunk by the Eagles' Logan Shanahan, Emory took a narrow 78-76 lead. The Bruins weren't rattled, though, and Stewart IV calmly hit a mid-range jumper to tie the game backup just one possession later. With just one minute left in the game, the Eagles had the ball inside the paint, but good defense from Moore led to a miss and rebound. Stokes then put a good move on his defender and drilled a fifteen-footer to give the Bruins an 82-80 lead with 40 seconds left. 

Knight responded with a jumper of his own, tying the game with 20 seconds left. The Bruins once again put the ball in Stoke's hands, who eventually found Stewart IV down low, with the junior transfer drawing a crucial foul. Before Stewart IV could go to the line, however, the Eagles bench was issued a technical foul, which sent Stokes – who shot 24-25 from the line over the tournament – to the line with a chance to take the lead with five seconds left. Stokes nailed both free throws, with Stewart IV made one of his pair to give the Bruins an 85-82 lead. The Eagles were able to move the ball past half-court and call a timeout, giving them four seconds to try and tie the game with a three. Before the Eagles got off a shot, Stewart IV was able to grab Fox's 11th steal of the game though, sealing their  Emory Holiday Classic championship win . 

Top Performances
Momo Stokes went 5-10 from the field and a lethal 13-14 from the free throw line to lead the Bruins with 24 points, as he continues his stellar comeback campaign after his sophomore season was cut short due to injury. Samuel Stewart IV had three key steals as well as 12 points, and James Moore added 15 points with three triples. 

Coach's Thoughts
"Our team is tough, resilient, and really good!" Bruin head coach Maco Hamilton said "This is a great springboard into conference play, and a great cap to the non-conference."

What It Means
The Bruins are now 2-0 against top 25 opponents, and improve to 9-2 (2-0 NWC) — the best start in Hamilton's college coaching career; with the win, the Bruins now eye their first D3Hoops.com Top 25 in school history. With the loss, the No. 14 Emory Eagles fall to 8-2. 

What Comes Next
The Bruins travel back to the PNW to continue NWC play next weekend, Jan. 5, against the Pacific Lutheran Lutes in Tacoma, Wash. at 8 pm.