NEWBERG, Ore. -- The George Fox men's basketball team played against the Whitman Blues, falling down big early in a 95-75 loss.

How It Happened 
A day after the Bruins pounced early against No. 15 Whitworth, it was Whitman who jumped out to an early 12-0 lead. Chris Nickelberry was the lone bright spot in the early stage. Scoring the first six points of the day for Fox. Despite some solid shots from Nickelberry and Jake Bishop, Whitman stampeded out to a commanding 38-10 win. Samuel Stewart IV and Momo Stokes never gave up, scoring nine straight to cut the deficit to 19-38. However, the Blues never let the Bruins get close, taking a 23-point advantage into halftime.

The beginning of the second half wasn't perfect for the Bruins, but it was stronger than the last as Stewart IV made a turn-around shot off the backboard. And after Aiden Price made consecutive shots to close the score to 44-61, Fox was gaining momentum. Both teams fought back and forth for a while, but when Momo Stokes made a three-pointer, the Bruins had cut the Blues lead to 15.

For the remainder of the period, though, Fox lost energy—in the last five minutes,the Blues put away the game for good, erasing any hope of another miracle Bruin comeback. The Whitman lead was up to 22 with eight minutes as the Blues went on to hand the Bruins a 75-95 loss.

Top Performers
Momo Stokes had 14 points with two rebounds, while Samuel Stewart IV had a total of 13 points, three assists, and three rebounds. Aiden Price had 15 points, and three rebounds for the night. Cory Schramm led the team with a career-high 13 rebounds. 

What It Means 
The Bruins now have an overall record of 7-8 and an NWC record of 3-3, while the Whitworth Blues rise to 8-7 and 6-0 NWC.

What Comes Next
The George Fox men's basketball team plays their next game on January 24 at home again, against the Puget Sound Loggers. The game is scheduled to start at 4:00 pm.