NEWBERG, Ore. -- The George Fox men's basketball team took a 97-67 loss against UC Santa Cruz despite an early showing of offensive power in the first few minutes of play.  

How It Happened
The Bruin offense came out swinging earl;. Dre Lawrence started off George Fox with a two-point jumper, followed by two made free throws by freshman Sydney Natche. A hook shot by Jamar Mitchell put the Bruins up 6–0 against the Banana Slugs in the opening minutes.

A three-pointer put UC Santa Cruz on the board before a run of seven more consecutive points put the Banana Slugs up 10–6, but Anthony Williams quickly stole two back with a layup. Free-throw opportunities and another layup from Natche brought the Bruins closer to closing the gap. Before the Bruins could catch up, UC Santa Cruz came alive, raising the score to 24–15. A three-pointer by Jake Centner brought the Bruins even closer, but not before the Banana Slugs widened the gap to a ten-point lead.

UC Santa Cruz was able to maintain its lead for the remainder of the half, 49–31, leaving George Fox with an 18-point deficit to make up for in the second. Natche kicked off the second half for the Bruin offense, taking back two points with a layup. Corey Schramm charged to the rim for a dunk, taking back two more. A layup by Lawrence and a three-pointer by Nico Cervantes continued to chip away at the Banana Slugs' lead. Trey McDonald III found an opening but was fouled, allowing him to make two free throws and raise the score to 54–40, leaving the Bruins trailing by 14.

Donovon Cooks hit a fadeaway jumper to score his first basket as a Bruin. Shortly after UC Santa Cruz increased its lead to 73–52, Matthew Sitler took two back with a layup. Vanndon Heard found an opportunity for a layup, followed by a Rylan Nelson breakaway and dunk. Anthony Williams drove to the hoop, finding the net despite a Banana Slug foul.

Mitchell added another bucket to the tally with a hook shot while maneuvering around defenders. Rylan Nelson was fouled on a free-throw rebound and sent to the line, scoring another point, but UC Santa Cruz was still up by 30, 97–67, when the final buzzer sounded.

Top Performances
Jamar Mitchell led the Bruins in scoring and rebounds with 15 total points and five rebounds. Anthony Williams had 11 points, followed by Sydney Natche with ten. Natche also kept his eyes up, leading in assists with two to help the Bruins get to the basket. Dre Lawrence produced eight points for George Fox, while Cory Schramm also created opportunities to score with five rebounds. Vanndon Heard led the team with three blocks.

What It Means
George Fox falls to 1-7 (0-1 NWC) on the young season while UC Santa Cruz advances to 3-4. 

What Comes Next
George Fox men's basketball will head to Portland, Ore. to play an exhibition game against Portland State on Saturday, December 13 at 2:00 pm.