ROCKLIN, Calif. -- The George Fox STUNT team showed immense improvement in their first day at the Jessup University Tournament, taking down Sonoma State in a thrilling comeback, 11-9, before dropping a close game to Ottawa (Ariz.), 9-12.

How It Happened
The Bruins started strong against a Division II team in Sonoma State, picking up an early point to tie the game, 1-1. Though a Fox challenge was successful in the second quarter, preventing a Seawolves point, Fox found themselves down 1-5 at the half. After splitting the first point in the second half, the Bruins stayed steady, scoring an additional point in the third.

Headed into the fourth quarter down, 8-3, Fox stormed back — winning eight of the 12 available points in the full routine to win the competition. The Bruins picked up the full three points on their first and second routines to tie the game, 9-9, before scoring two more points on the third routine. 

Up by two points, Fox needed to hold off the Seawolves on the final routine to pick up their second win of the season — and got it thanks to a strategic coaching move from the Bruin coaching staff. After initially calling for routine two, Fox called a timeout to switch their performance to routine seven, a routine that Sonoma State did not have. Thanks to the call, Fox was able to perform with no threat of losing — and though the Bruins did not score on the final routine, the move paid off in the 11-9 comeback win.

In their second game of the day, Fox faced Ottawa (Ariz.), and showed great strides in their 9-12 loss against the Spirit. Fox took an early lead after winning a point in the first performance of the competition and never went away, a far cry from their 3-22 loss to the Spirit one month prior. 

A low-scoring first half that featured several no-point rounds saw the Spirit lead just 3-2, with the Bruins right in contention. And after the third quarter, the Bruins trailed by just two points, 4-6. Though Fox hung tight in the final quarter — entering the last routine trailing by just three — they narrowly fell in a hard-fought match, 9-12.

The following day, the Bruins faced top opponents, competing against the No. 1 team in club in Cal Poly and the No. 4 team in club in Riverside. The Bruins fought valiently, keeping the teams from scoring every point possible, ultimately losing to Riverside, 0-19, and falling to Cal Poly, 0-22

Top Performers
Against Sonoma State, Morgan Lewis was named the top tumbler, while Flor Sanchez was the top stunter. Victoria Harden was named player of the game. Against OUAZ, Tori Ward was the top tumbler, Luka Ogden was top stunter, and  Emma Reinke was player of the game. No player recorded a stat on day two as Fox did not earn a point

What It Means
The Bruins improve to 2-5 on the season. Thanks to a tough schedule, Fox is currently ranked fifth in NCAA Division III STUNT. 

What Happens Next
Fox will be right back in action on Saturday, March 2, as they take on 2023 STUNT Club Champion Cal Poly, as well as Riverside CC. Their first match, against Riverside, is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.