NEWBERG, Ore. -- The George Fox men's basketball team fought hard against the Willamette Boxers, losing, 104-111, despite a career effort from Momo Stokes. 

How It Happened 
The Bruins had a strong start as the first jump shot was made by Chris Nickelberry within the first 13 seconds. Willamette kept the score close in the early moments but Fox kept bumping ahead when Jake Centner made a three-pointer at 5-2, and then Momo Stokes as well at 8-5 — a sign of things to come. The Bruins stayed ahead for the opening minutes, but despite another Stokes made three-pointer, Fox couldn't hold momentum as the Bearcat offense took the lead.. 

With less than ten minutes left of the first half, Nick Greenwood grabbed control of the game with a three-pointer, a layup, and a free throw—shooting Fox's score up to tie the score, 27-27. Pacific reacted quickly though as both teams fought back and forth. The Bearcats stayed in the lead for the remainder of the period, though Fox only stayed a few points behind. The tension of the period rose dramatically as Cory Schramm snuck in behind, just in time for an open dunk in the last three seconds to cut the deficit to 48-55 at the half.

The Bruins kept close behind for the first five minutes thanks to an otherworldly performance by Stokes — who scored 10 points in the opening minutes of the second. Willamette kept the Bruins at bay though, going on a run to push back to eight ahead—58-66. However, Fox quickly pulled back, with a three-pointer by Jake Bishop, a layup by Vandon Heard, and then a layup by Greenwood which cut the lead to one—68-69. Every time Fox got close, though, the Bearcats shot back ahead.

The last ten minutes were difficult for the Bruins, as Willamette used timely offensive rebounds to extend the lead to 10, 91-81. For the last ten minutes, Fox stayed roughly ten points behind, until a frantic Bruin comeback attempt with two minutes left.

In the last minute, Stokes scored five points, while Jake Bishop nailed a triple to cut the lead to just two, 103-105. After a missed Bearcat free throw, the Bruins had a chance to tie the game. Stokes' triple with 1:15 left would be the final GFU field goal of the day, as the Bearcats took down the Bruins in a track meet, 111-104.

Top Performers
Momo Stokes had 38 points, three rebounds and three assists; his 38 points — the third 30-point game for the senior on the season —were a career-high, and the fourth-most in George Fox history. Nick Greenwood ended the game with 15 points, six rebounds, and three assists, while Jake Bishop had 12 points and two rebounds. Samuel Stewart IV, Chris Nickelberry, and Aiden Price all had nine points for the night.

What It Means 
The Bruins fall to 8-11 (4-6 NWC) while the Bearcats win their second straight to improve to 8-10 overall (2-8 NWC).

What Comes Next
The George Fox men's basketball team will play their next game Tuesday, February 4th, when they travel back home to play against the Pacific Boxers at 6:00 pm.