NEWBERG, Ore. -- Sydney Natche set the freshman points scoring record. Asbury set a program record for three-pointers made. In all the makings of an instant classic, the George Fox men's basketball team came up just short, losing 123-117 after a 3OT thriller.

How It Happened
The game began with an early lead from the Eagles after two early triples, but the Bruins weren't going to keep it that way for long. In the next two minutes, Cory Schramm and Donovan Cooks each drove into the paint for a layup; Jake Centner was quick to follow their momentum with an arching three to put GFU ahead, 7-6. Once George Fox took the lead, they were confident in holding it — particularly Noah Marte who made two from behind the arc to put the Bruins in double digits ,13-12. 

With 14 minutes left in the first half, Cooks snuck through the Eagle's defense for a steal which resulted in a smooth layup and an and-one shot for Sydney Natche. Not long after, Cooks showcased his offense with two driving layups — once of which resulted in a good and-one shot — to give the Bruins a 21-17 lead. In the next three minutes, Fox went on a 12 point streak while holding AU to only two points. Starting off GFU's run, Natche and Luke Tobin each made both their free throws after being drawn to the line; Tobin continued to produce on the offensive end with an effortless jumper to give the Bruins a 10-point advantage, 27-17. 

GFU's offense continued to shine as Marte pulled up to the outside ring for a swishing trey. With only eight minutes left to go, both Natche and Nico Cervantes drove to the hoop for layups; after being fouled on his way to the basket, Cervantes recorded an and-one shot to make the score 35-22. The Eagles began to respond, but Jamar Mitchell was quick to intervene and was awarded his first points of the night with a floating jumper. In the final minutes of the half, Cooks and Natche were reliable shooters as each player was drawn to the free throw line. Marte also continued to be aggressive on offense and recorded two tough layups for the Bruins. While Asbury was able to sneak one more trey in, the half ended with a George Fox lead, 46-44. 

While the Eagles were the first to score in the second half, Natche was the player to be afraid of offensively. He started off his hot streak with a smashing dunk — assisted by Cooks — which he followed with a floating jumper, 50-47. Along with another driving layup, Natche went 4-4 after being drawn to the free throw line twice; alongside Natche was Cooks who also contributed a free throw to the Bruin's 57-52 lead. Mitchell grabbed a crucial offensive rebound with 13 minutes left in the half which resulted in a swishing Marte trey. After grabbing yet another offensive rebound, Mitchell was fouled which led to another good free throw. After a driving layup from Natche, Asbury was able to snatch the lead from the Bruins and put a gap in the score, 68-63. 

The Eagles lead was short-lived as Marte and Dre Lawrence knocked in a triple and a driving layup, respectively, to tie the game, 68-68. The back-and-forth began as both teams fought for the win. For Fox, Cooks, Lawrence, and Marte all contributed free throws to lessen the gap in the score; along with them, Mitchell found his way into the paint for a finishing layup and Cooks put up a swishing trey. With less than two minutes left in the game, the teams were at a 77-77 tie. 

On both sides, Asbury and GFU were ready to play the long game as each team began fouling. However, before George Fox was drawn to the line, Mitchell was able to sneak to the basket for a crucial layup. With less than a minute left, Natche was drawn to the line and made a free throw to give Fox a 80-79 advantage. The crowd was tense as the Eagles made a free throw to tie the game 80-80, sending the game into overtime. 

The Bruins were able to take the first lead in overtime after a smooth layup from Natche along with an arching trey made by Cooks, 85-83. Asbury was quick to tie after finding their way to the charity line, but GFU was relentless as the teams battled it out on the court. For George Fox, Mitchell put up a floating jumper before AU took the lead 89-87. With less than 30 seconds left, Natche not only made a free throw, but later drove aggressively to the hoop for a layup to make the score a close 91-90. Once again, the pressure was on Natche as he was drawn to the line with seven seconds left; he was able to make a free throw to tie the game (91-91), and send the teams to double overtime. 

Natche continued his high energy into second overtime where he drove in for four, aggressive layups that Asbury couldn't stop to give GFU the lead, 99-91. As AU continued to put up triples, they also continued to draw the Bruins to the line; Cooks, Schramm, and Natche — who also made a fifth layup — all contributed free throws to maintain George Fox's lead, 106-99. 

The Eagles began to rack up points and close the gap, though, hitting several jumpers and taking advantage of missed free throws. In the final seconds of second overtime, the Bruins took a three-point lead advantage after two Cooks free throws were good, but Asbury countered with a clutch trey of their own, sending the game into triple overtime — officially the longest game since a four-OT thriller in January of 2012 against Lewis & Clark.

After a clutch performance in a high pressure situation, the Eagles had high energy which was reflected in their offense. The key moment of the third overtime was in the opening seconds, as Natche fouled out. After 12 points in the second OT alone, the star freshman would have to take a seat. Asbury took advantage, proceeding hitting their 21st and 22nd triples of the night — a program record for the Eagles — to go on a relentless 12-4 run to take the lead; though many Bruins fought to make a comeback over the next few minutes, despite their efforts, GFU couldn't match AU's score and ultimately fell to the Eagles, 123-117.

Top Performances
To say Sydney Natche had a great night overall would be an understatement. The freshman scored 40 points, the third-most in GFU history and most by a freshman in program history. Behind Natche in points was Donovan Cooks — who also led the team in steals and assists with 3 and 5, respectively — with 26 and Noah Marte with 20. Leading the Bruins in rebounds was Jake Centner (13), Jamar Mitchell (10), and Cory Schramm (8). 

What It Means
Asbury rises to 1-10, and GFU falls to 1-8 (0-1 NWC). 

What Happens Next
After a short break for Christmas, the Bruins will return to their home court in Newberg, Ore. on Monday, December 29 to go up against Hamline University; the game is set to begin at 6:00 pm.