NEWBERG, Ore. -- The George Fox men's basketball team played toe-to-toe with one of the premier teams in the Northwest Conference, but ultimately dropped a game to the Whitworth Pirates, 100-85, in a high-paced affair.

How It Happened
It was clear from the opening minutes that the game would feature high point totals — the first minute alone featured nine points combined. Sydney Natche and Jake Centner contributed four of those points, with Donovan Cooks knocking in a three-pointer seconds later to give the Bruins an early 7-5 lead. The teams traded leads over the following minutes, with Natche nailing a driving layup and Centner hitting a trey of his own. Though the Bruins knotted the game at 12, the hot-shooting Pirates grabbed control of the game before the under-12 media timeout, going on a 15-2 run. 

Though the Bruins trailed by 13, there was no sign of quit from the team. Cooks hit a triple before Natche had an incredible sequence; the freshman earned a fast-break dunk on a pass from Cooks, then stole the inbounds pass — the ball careening off his hands and into the rim, then back to Natche for the layup. The quick 7-0 run forced a timeout from the Pirates.

The deficit hovered between seven and 10 points for the next several minutes before a Jamar Mitchell layup helped the Bruins inch closer. Fox got as near as three points, trailing just 42-39, on another Natche layup, and were even down by just five with one minute left after a deep Nico Cervantes trey, but Whitworth refused to miss a shot; in the first half, the Bucs shot 64% from deep, including 8-9 on pull-up midrange twos. Fittingly, it was a Whitworth triple that went in in the final seconds following a mad scramble for the ball. After one, the Bruins trailed, 56-46.

Fox stayed within shouting distance in the opening minutes of the second half, with Natche hitting a shot from behind the arc and Cory Schramm hitting a layup, but GFU soon fell cold. The Bruins scored just one point over the next five minutes as the Bucs went on a 14-1 run to take a 20-point lead. Try as they might, the Bruins couldn't break through from there, never getting closer than a 15-point deficit for the remainder of the game.

Despite this, the second half wasn't without its highlights. Rylan Nelson banked in a corner three-pointer to start a mini-Bruin run, and as a squad, the Bruins shot 15-20 from the free throw line. Anthony Williams hit a nifty layup in the final seconds, and Luke Tobin followed with a triple, as Fox ended the game on a high note in the 100-85 loss.

Top Performances
Sydney Natche had an efficient 20-point game for the Bruins, shooting 8-14 from the field. Donovan Cooks and Jamar Mitchell were the other two double-digit scorers, with Cooks finishing with 16 and Mitchell with 11, respectively. Cooks, Jake Centner, and Vanndon Heard all led the team with four boards apiece, while Cooks also had a team-high five assists. Dre Lawrence led the way with three steals, while four players (Natche, Schramm, Mitchell, and Noah Marte) had a block.

What It Means
George Fox falls to 1-13 (0-5 NWC), while Whitworth improved to 11-3 (5-0 NWC).

What Happens Next
The Bruins will stay right in Newberg as they host the Whitman Blues (6-8, 1-4 NWC) on Saturday, January 17. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 pm.