FOREST GROVE, Ore. -- Competing on a rare Tuesday game, the George Fox men's basketball team played against the Pacific University Boxers in Forest Grove, Ore., nearly rallying from a 20-point deficit but falling short, 71-74.

How It Happened
The Bruins had a rocky start in the first period, falling down 6-0, but Momo Stokes converted a smooth four-point play to make it up; shortly after, Nick Greenwood tied the score 6-6 with a quick layup. Fox began to get ahead, with Aiden Price nailing a layup to take a 10-6 lead.

The game stayed neck-and-neck, with Stokes making two free throws to put the Bruins one point behind, 22-23, but Fox couldn't quite regain the lead. Each team stayed fairly close in points for the majority of the half until Pacific made a run in the last minute—Price made one last free-throw, but the Boxers changed the momentum with a 7-1 run to conclude the first at 27-36.

The opening stages of the second half were a struggle offensively for Fox — the Bruins did not make a shot outside of the paint for the first nine minutes as the Bruins fell down, 31-51. Jett Briceno finally broke the streak with a solid three-pointer on the fast break, cutting the lead to 12. Not long after, Stokes followed with a three-pointer, and the Bruins were back into the game.

Samuel Stewart IV wasted no time as he sent the Boxers in a frenzy, scoring four straight points as GFU tried to close the gap to single digits. With 18 seconds left, the Bruins trailed by eight, but they still did not give in. The teams exchanged turnovers and  Noah Marte made another three-pointer — 68-72. Though the Bruins charged hard., time eventually ran out as Stewart IV nailed a triple—the final score being 71-74, just a few points from a victory.

Top Performances
Momo Stokes scored 19 points overall, and six rebounds. Samuel Stewart IV had 11 points, splitting his assists and rebounds five each, while sophomore Noah Marte completed the game with 10 points.

What It Means
Fox will fall in the overall to 5-7 (1-2 NWC), while Pacific rises to 7-5 (2-1 NWC).

What Comes Next
The Bruins will go up to Tacoma, Wash. to play against Pacific Lutheran (4-7, 1-1 NWC) at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 11th.