NEWBERG, Ore. -- The George Fox men's basketball team opened up the season against a tough Claremont Mudd-Scripps team, ultimately losing against the Stags, 103-65.

How It Happened
The Bruins had a strong start to the first half, scoring the first bucket of the season on a three-pointer by Jamar Mitchell. The Bruins kept adding to their score as Dre Lawrence and Sydney Natche scored on strong driving layups to take a 7-1 lead over a team that was receiving votes in the D3hoops.com Top 25.

Claremont started to pass them by, though, with 10 early Fox turnovers in the first 10 minutes helping the Stags take a lead. Jake Centner locked in a smooth floating jumpshot, to attempt to counter a Stags, and Nico Cervantes knocked in a three-pointer, as the Bruins attempted to stay close, trailing 19-16. CMS slowly began pulling away, ending the half on an extended 26-9 run. Centner again had a clean three-pointer and Trey McDonald III made two free-throws to try to stop the bleeding, but a trey from the Stags at the end of the half put CMS up, 45-25.

The story stayed the same for Fox for the first three minutes of the second half, as Claremont utilized several turnovers and pushed ahead. Centner stopped a 9-0 run though with a solid layup, flagging the score at 54-27. Though the game soon became out of reach, as the Stags extended their lead to the mid-30s, Natche, Centner, and Mitchell each had bursts.

With less than three minutes left, Anthony Williams hit a tough jumper right through the net. Rylan Nelson had a smooth steal and layup to score his first career points, while Natche had a highlight dunk to close an impressive debut of his own. When all was said and done, 30 Bruin turnovers and a 26 point, 10 steal game by guard Reid Jones were too much for Fox to overcome in a 103-65 loss.

Top Performances
Sydney Natche had an impressive opening game, as the freshman scored 21 points on 5-7 shooting and a 10-11 clip from the charity stripe. Jake Centner had a total of 12 points, two rebounds and one assist, while Jamar Mitchell had made ten points for the night, with a pair of triples and four rebounds. Nico Cervantes scored seven points total with one rebound and one assist overall.

What It Means
The Bruins fall to 0-1 on their season, while the Stags rise to 2-0 overall. CMS has dominated their NWC opponents to open the year, beating Pacific by 34 on Friday night.

What Comes Next
The Bruins will stay in their hometown Newberg to play against the La Verne Leopards on Sunday, November 9. The game is scheduled for 3:00 pm.