FOREST GROVE, Ore. – The George Fox men's basketball team played hard against the Redlands Bulldogs for the Ken Schumann Classic, nearly rallying from a double-digit deficit in a 97-105 loss.

How It Happened
Fox stayed ahead for the majority of the first four minutes until the Bulldogs started to pull ahead. Behind by three, Fox started to gain control when freshman Jake Bishop nailed a three-pointer on the fast break before Nick Greenwood made his two free-throws to give the Bruins an 18-16 lead. The lead proved to be brief, though, as the Bruins started to lose momentum again; Jake Centner kept the Bruins in the game with a layup halfway through the period and a three-pointer less than a minute later. 

On the brink of a tie, Momo Stokes made a free-throw to cut the Redlands lead to 33-34, but the Bulldogs managed to rise above. Although almost ten points behind, Noah Marte scored six consecutive — three free throws and one three-pointer — almost fully catching up to Redlands on his own, 42-46. After another Bulldog run, Vandon Heard kept the Bruins close, nailing a tip-in before the time ran out; at the half, Redlands led, 55-45.

The second period began strong for the Bruins with a layup made right off the bat by Chris Nickelberry, and shortly after, a three-pointer by Stokes. Samuel Stewart IV made two consecutive layups—the second on a fast break, which bumped their score even higher, 54-61. Then, Nickelberry made two more layups, still only five minutes in.

Fox was just nine points behind after Stokes made a clean three-pointer, and another one only a minute later. With five minutes left on the clock, the Bruins were on Redlands' heels when Nickelberry made two layups—the first one on a fast break, and then sophomore Noah Marte made two three pointers back-to-back, shooting Fox one point ahead of the Bulldogs—92-91. Stokes also made a three-pointer with three minutes left, extending the Bruins' lead to four, but Redlands refused to give them leeway as they pulled ahead. Nickelberry made two last free-throws, but Fox still lost a close game—97-105.

Top Performances
Momo Stokes was the top player, scoring 27 points on 10-16 shooting and 4-7 from deep. Chris Nickelberry scored 18 on an efficient 8-10 clip with six assists, while Stewart Samuel IV scored 14 in his first game back. Noah Marte scored 13 for the night, hitting three treys..

What It Means
The Bruins are now 1-3 in the fresh season, while Redlands is 2-0. 

What Comes Next
The Bruins continue the Ken Schumann Classic playing against Cal Maritime on Saturday, November 23. The game is scheduled to start at 4:00 pm.