NEWBERG, Ore. -- George Fox men's basketball head coach
Maco Hamilton had just one thing to say after the Bruins' 59-57 win over Pacific on Saturday Night:
"We're in."
The Bruins' victory over the Boxers allowed Fox to clinch their first appearance in the Northwest Conference tournament since 2017.
How It Happened
Following a Senior Night celebration, the first half was a defensive struggle from the get-go, with neither team scoring in the opening three minutes and combining for just 17 points in the first eight minutes. The Bruins struggled mightily from the field in the first half. shooting just 27% from the field and 16% from behind the arc. The 21-point half was the lowest-scoring half by the Bruins since a 19-point half in January 2022. Fox kept the game close with defense, forcing eight turnovers and holding Pacific to 31 first-half points to trail by 10 heading into halftime.
Fox trailed by 11 three minutes into the second but quickly ramped up the intensity to make it a game. Similar to their game the night before against Lewis & Clark, the Bruins turned to hot players:
Nick Greenwood scored four straight points to cut the lead to six before
Charlie Powers cut the lead to two with four quick points
The Bruins hung close, but couldn't break through and snag the lead for the next 10 minutes. On three different occasions — a Greenwood free throw, an
Austin Clark layup, and a
Kade Sorenson triple — Fox cut the lead to one but could get no closer. Finally, with 6:09 remaining, the Bruins drew the game to a tie with a
James Moore jumper. The Boxers wrestled back the lead with a Jacob Bolger layup before Sorenson sent the crowd and bench into a frenzy with a triple to take a 53-52 lead.
With 1:34 remaining, the Bruins found themselves trailing by one, 53-54. A Linfield loss earlier in the night meant that a win guaranteed a playoff berth for the Bruins.
Adam Damian fought like he knew this, battling back to get a putback after his own miss to put Fox up one. Then, it was the defense's turn to lock down. The Bruins forced three consecutive turnovers in the waning minutes, never giving the Boxers a shot to take the lead. Fittingly,
Davon Walker — the lone Senior on the Bruins' Senior Night — hit two free throws to extend the lead before Powers sealed the deal. Fox left Wheeler for the final time in the 2022-23 victorious — and not finished.
Top Performers
Balanced scoring led the way for the Bruins — eight different players saw the ball go through the basket, with the senior Walker leading the way with 11 on the night. Damian was the only other Bruin to score in double digits, while
Chris Nickelberry led Fox with eight rebounds and five assists.
What It Means
The Bruins improve to 9-17 (8-8 NWC) on the year. With both Linfield and Lewis & Clark losing, Fox finished the season in sole possession of fourth place in the NWC — heading into the weekend, the Bruins sat in sixth. Pacific finishes the year with an 11-14 (6-10 NWC) mark.
What Comes Next
Fox will play postseason basketball for the first time in six years, traveling to Walla Walla to face the No. 1 overall seed in the conference in Whitman (21-4, 14-2 NWC). In the last meetings in Walla Walla, Fox came close but finished just short, falling 81-86.
The game is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 24, with a start time TBD.
