NEWBERG, Ore. – George Fox ended an 18-game losing streak to visiting Whitworth with a 90-84 victory over the Pirates on Friday night in a Northwest Conference men's basketball game at the Wheeler Sports Center.
The Pirates dropped a second straight NWC contest for the second time this season to fall to 14-9 overall and 9-5 in the NWC. Whitworth fell behind Puget Sound (9-4) to third place in the NWC standings.
The Bruins (7-15 overall, 6-7 NWC) used a decisive 14-2 run and made 70% (19 of 27) of their shots to take control of the game in the second half. It's the second game in a row that Whitworth allowed an opponent to make 70% from the field in a half.
The teams traded leads four times in the opening minutes of the game before George Fox took a 15-11 lead on a Charlie Powers layup. The Bucs answered with six straight, capped by Sullivan Menard's jumper, to go back in front. There were four more lead changes until the Bruins went up 29-24 on a free throw with under four to play in the first half. Whitworth responded with a 7-0 run, capped by a three-pointer from Rowan Anderson, to jump back in front and the Bucs led 33-32 at halftime.
Anderson's three-pointer two and a half minutes into the second half gave Whitworth its largest lead at 40-36. George Fox used its decisive 14-2 run to open a 52-42 advantage. The Bruins got four straight three-pointers by Austin Clark in that run. George Fox eventually stretched its lead to 63-51 on a three-pointer by Chris Nickelberry. Whitworth fought back to cut the margin to 70-67 on a layup by Michael Smith, but could get no closer until the final seconds. Adam Damian's free throws with 1:30 left seemed to settle the game, giving GFU an 84-73 lead.
But the Pirates weren't quite done. Menard answered with a three-pointer and the Bruins started missing free throws. Anderson's three-point play pulled Whitworth within 84-79 and he made three free throws to make it 86-84 with 15 seconds to play. After they had missed five of six, James Moore ended the free throw drought for George Fox and Whitworth missed two shots at the other end. Nickelberry got the final two free throws with two seconds left.
Anderson scored 23 points in his return from a concussion that cost him two and a half games. Jake Holtz had 16 points and eight boards off the bench and JT McDermott got his second double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Whitworth lost the game despite a 50-29 edge in rebounds, but the Pirates made only 41% (33-80) of their shots, including 29% (6-21) from three-point range.
Moore led George Fox with 22 points, while Nickelberry scored 17 and Clark finished with 14. The Bruins finished the game 32 of 59 (54%) from the field, 11 of 26 (42%) from beyond the arc. George Fox stayed alive in the chase for the final spot in the four-team NWC tournament.
The Bruins' previous win over Whitworth was Jan. 17, 2014 by a score of 98-85 at home.
Whitworth will close the regular season with home games against Linfield and Willamette next weekend.
