TACOMA, Wash. -- Minutes into the first half of Friday night's men's basketball game, the George Fox Bruins found themselves down 19. From there, Fox embarked on a long-spirited comeback, culminating in a game-winning shot from Charlie Powers to give the Bruins their win of the year over Pacific Lutheran, 82-80.

How It Happened
Adam Damian and Sean Quanico were the lone Bruins to score in the opening minutes of the game as Fox got off to a less-than-ideal start, trailing by an astounding score of 22-3 just 6:45 into the game. To say the Lutes began the game would be an understatement — PLU shot 11-13 from the field compared to the Bruins' 1-12 mark in the first six minutes. 

Slowly but surely, though, the Fox men worked their way back into the game. It began with a James Moore triple to break a two-minute scoring drought. Then, Charlie Powers got on the board with eight quick points to close the gap. By halftime, the Bruins had whittled a 19-point deficit down to eight points, trailing 38-46.

The Bruins continued to wear down the Lutes, inching closer as the second half progressed. Chris Nickelberry had four early points in the second, while a Damian triple cut the lead to three. A Moore trey with 14:45 remaining tied the game at 52. After an abysmal start to the game, Fox had willed themselves back into contention, needing only 20 minutes of game time.

From there, the game turned into a scrappy back-and-forth matchup. The Bruins tied the game on four different occasions before finally taking their first lead of the game, 70-69 with seven minutes remaining, on a Powers layup. A quick 7-0 run from Nick Greenwood and Nickelberry suddenly stretched the lead to seven points, before the Lutes closed the gap — with 30 seconds left, PLU trailed by three with the ball.

The Lutes' Brandin Riedal turned the tide with 27 seconds left, drawing contact from Damian and converting a tough and-one to knot the game, 80-80. With time winding down, Fox turned to Charlie Powers, who then did this:



Powers' shot sent the Bruin bench into a frenzy, as the desperation full-court pass attempt was deflected out of bounds to give Fox the comeback win, 82-80.

Top Performances
Powers led the way for the Bruins with a season-high 17 points off the bench, shooting 7-9 from the field, including his first collegiate game-winner. Chris Nickelberry (14), Adam Damian (12), and Kade Sorenson (10) were the other Bruins to score double-digits on the night. Additionally, Nickelberry dished out a career-high seven assists and pulled down a team-high five boards.

Coach's Thoughts 
"This team has fight!" Bruin coach Maco Hamilton said, "One thing we've learned in conference play is that they're going to give us a chance to win. Tonight we made THE PLAY! I'm so proud of these men."

What It Means
The Bruins improve to 6-14 (5-6 NWC) on the season, while Pacific Lutheran drops to 10-10 (4-7 NWC) on the year. With Fox's 85-76 win over the Lutes in January, this year is the first time the Bruins have swept PLU in the season series since 2006.

What Comes Next
The Bruins stay in Tacoma to take on Puget Sound (14-6, 7-4 NWC) on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 pm.