NEWBERG, Ore. -- The George Fox men's basketball team played against the Schreiner Mountaineers in their first game in over two weeks, hanging close but never leading in a tight 87-94 loss.

How It Happened
In the first half of the game, Fox stayed only a few points behind the Mountaineers in the first five minutes, until they gradually fell further. Aiden Price kept them latched on from an assist from Momo Stokes, and a couple minutes later was a jumper from Price, but the Bruins still trailed, 12-25.

The Bruins remained roughly ten points behind for a majority of the half, but rallied towards the end of the period; Noah Marte made a three-pointer, launching the Bruins closer to their opponents—36-41. However, Schreiner closed the quarter strong, ending the first half at 36-48.

Stokes started the second half off hot with a quick layup. After that, the Bruins picked up the pace and began to catch up to the Yellowjackets—Price had a free-throw, and then seconds later made a solid jumper. Samuel Stewart IV made a layup soon after, which was followed by another clean jumper from Price, the score settling at 47-50. 

Shreiner felt the heat and gained control of the ball again, as Fox began to fall behind. But only two points behind, Stewart made a basket, keeping the other team on their toes—55-57. It was back and forth for a while, but the Bruins found themselves struggling at ten points behind once again. But, Chris Nickelberry made a nice layup, marking them only three points behind at 75-78.

Price made a layup driving down the court with 36 seconds left in the game, making the score 87-90. Fox chose not to foul, but Schreiner scored down the stretch, with the Bruins losing, 87-94.

Top Performers
Senior Momo Stokes continued his strong season, scoring 24 points, shooting with five rebounds and three assists. Chris Nickelberry scored 14 points, with an impressive five rebounds and eight assists, while Samuel Stewart IV scored 13 points, four rebounds, and six assists this game. Aiden Price also gave a strong performance with 15 points scored and four rebounds total.

What It Means
The Bruins fall to 2-4 on the season, while Schreiner moves up to 7-1.

What Happens Next
The team will play the LeTourneau Yellowjackets in Longview, Texas on Monday, December 16th. The game is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.