McMINNVILLE, Ore. -- The George Fox men's basketball teams fell to the Linfield Wildcats, 83-80, after a tight contest.

How It Happened
While the Bruins were able to earn the first point of the half thanks to a made free throw from Donovan Cooks, the Wildcats were sure to make up for it. Within the next four minutes, Linfield went on a 9-0 streak to gain the lead before Trey McDonald III put up another free throw to abruptly end their run, 9-2. Starting a rally for Fox was Cory Schramm with a swishing trey from behind the outer ring. Cooks followed with another made free throw and was quickly joined by Sydney Natche who turned a sneaky steal into a clean, transition lay-in. 

It wasn't until two arching threes from Noah Marte that Fox's offense really came alive; Cooks continued to be a reliable shooter from behind the charity with two made buckets. Marte continued the energy into his defense where he got through the 'Cats attack for a steal; with a pass to Luke Tobin, GFU earned another swift, transition finish at the rim. With a final hook shot and floating jumpshot from Cooks and Natche, respectively, the game was set in a 22-22 tie. 

The Bruins' offense was far from slowing down; with less than 10 minutes left in the half, Natche and Marte each drove to the hoop for an aggressive bucket. Dre Lawrence recorded his first points of the night at the charity stripe after he successfully snatched a steal. Marte followed and added a free throw of his own and the two took the lead for GFU, 29-26. The work was far from over and after a Lawrence layup, the Wildcats once again held the lead. 

The final three minutes of the half proved to be just enough time for Fox to make their comeback. Nico Cervantes began the rally with a strong finish at the board and was closely trailed by Natche with a pull up jumper and Jamar Mitchell with a hook shot. The first half ended with a bang, though, as the Bruins executed one of the sequences of the season. First, Vanndon Heard nearly blocked a shot into the stands, with it ended up in the hands of Marte. Marte found a cutting Natche runnign to the hoop for an alley oop slam so loud even the Linfield announcer got into it. Thanks in part to the dunk, the Bruins led at the half, 40-39.

George Fox picked up right where they left off on the offensive end out of the halftime locker room meeting; after a Natche bank shot, GFU was met with resistance from the Wildcats. The back-and-forth began on the court as both teams fought to take and hold the lead. For Fox, Centner started things off behind the free throw line with two made buckets. Mitchell followed with not one, but two turn around jumpshots — as well as a free throw — to make the score a close 49-45. Continuing the Bruins' offense was McDonald III with two made free throws; it didn't before Natche joined with an aggressive drive to the hoop along with a step back jumper to maintain GFU's lead, 55-54. 

Along with their offense, Fox's defense was also making chaos on the court; Lawrence recorded another steal for the Bruins and was able to turn it into a smooth layup. With eight minutes left in the second half, Linfield was able to go on a small 7-0 run that was ultimately cut off by a Marte trey. Natche recorded another steal and transition layup to keep George Fox right on the heels of the 'Cats; with a Cooks step back in the paint, the game was once again tied (64-64) with only five minutes left. 

The Bruins began to feel the pressure after two Wildcats threes that put a gap in the score. It was only after a clean step back from Marte that each team began to play the long game as players from both sides found their way behind the charity stripe. For GFU, Natche, Cooks, and Marte were all consistent shooters when it came down to free throws. In the final two minutes the score remained close, but the Wildcats were able to hold a three point lead and took the game, 83-80. Fox had a chance on a final inbounds, but the ball was stolen to give the Wildcats the win.

Top Performances
Sydney Natche not only led the Bruins in points, but in steals as well with 24 and three, respectively; behind Natche in points was Noah Marte with 16 and Donovan Cooks with 12. Along with his points, Cooks had the most rebounds with 10 and in assists with three. GFU's defense was working hard as seen through Vanndon Heard's three blocks. 

What It Means
Linfield rise to 6-9 (4-3 NWC) while George Fox falls to 2-15 (1-7 NWC). 

What Happens Next
The Bruins will travel to Salem, Ore. for their next competition against Willamette (8-7, 3-3 NWC) on Tuesday, January 27; tip-off against the Bearcats is scheduled for 7:30 pm.