NEWBERG, Ore. -- The George Fox men's basketball team suffered a close loss against the Lewis & Clark Pioneers, battling it out in one of the wildest games of the year but ultimately falling in overtime, 75-78.

How It Happened 
The first half of the game started out powerful for the Bruins as Momo Stokes nailed a three-pointer to guide his team to a 7-2 start. Fox stayed in the lead throughout the game, with Aiden Price knocking down a three-pointer to double the Pios' score, 18-9, while the Bruins continued to pull farther ahead. 

Another three, this one from Jake Bishop, gave the Bruins a 25-15 team — the Pioneers made their best efforts to rise from that, but Price came in with a layup and a free throw to keep the lead at 10, 28-18. Fox faded slightly towards the end of the half, but was still the pilot at the break, 30-26.

After a quick first half where the Bruins were in front, it was the second half where the team truly became a back-and-forth affair. Fox fell behind at the beginning of the half as Lewis & Clark embarked on an 8-0 run to make the score 30-32. Stokes locked in a three-pointer, fighting for that upper-hand, 33-32. 

Neither team led by more than six points for the remainder of the game — but for the last five minutes, both teams were truly neck-and-neck, trading the lead with each new possession. A Bishop triple in the gave the Bruins a 60-58 lead before the Pios converted an and one to take a one point lead. Stokes took over in the final two minutes, scoring the final five points for the Bruins, but two free throws with 1:10 left from the Pios tied the game. Bishop's triple in the final seconds was off, and the teams were headed to overtime.

Despite an early Samuel Stewart IV bucket in the extra period, the Bruins fell behind by five points with 1:24 remaining. Price knocked down a triple to cut the lead to two, with Stokes hitting another jumper to do the same with 24 seconds left. Despite the offensive success, the Pios hit their free throws and led the game by four with just 10 seconds on the clock.

From there, the Bruins provided one last spark. Stokes drew a foul on a triple, and purposely missed his final free throw. Vanndon Heard came down with the ball and drew a foul of his own. With a chance to tie, Heard — who had entered the game with just four free throws on the year — calmly knocked down the first before barely missing the second. After two Lewis & Clark free throws, the final heave came from Stokes from half court — with his shot just barely missing, handing the Bruins a heartbreaking 75-78 loss.

Top Performers
Momo Stokes led the Bruins with 28 points, and four assists total, while Aiden Price had 15 points and six rebounds for the night. Jake Bishop finished with 12 points, while Samuel Stewart IV had six for the game.

What It Means 
The Bruins now fall to 7-10 (3-5 NWC) while the Pioneers rise to 9-8 overall (5-3 NWC).

What Comes Next
The George Fox men's basketball team plays their next game on January 31st at home against their rivals the Linfield Wildcats, starting at 6:00 pm.