EUGENE, Ore. – A 15-2 run to close the first half gave Northwest Christian University a 10-point halftime lead in its home opener, and the Beacons hung on to foil a desperation comeback bid by the George Fox University Bruins for a 78-72 win in a non-conference men's basketball game Tuesday night here at the Morse Events Center.
The Bruins, in their first road test of the season, fell to 0-3 following a pair of five-point home losses and had a seven-game winning streak against the Beacons snapped. NCU, which had last defeated George Fox on Feb. 5, 2002, in Eugene, improved to 4-2 on the season.
George Fox scored the first two buckets of the game on layups by Cole Whitehurst, and extended its lead to 15-6 at 14:25 of the half with an 11-2 run that featured three two-point goals and a three-pointer by Rich Smith. The Bruins were still up by nine at 17-8 when the Beacons went on a 10-1 splurge, keyed by two baskets and a free throw by Greg Shepard off the bench, to square the game at 18 apiece with nine minutes left.
Two free throws and a jumper by the Bruins' Mike Taylor around a Mitch Wilson free throw for NCU gave George Fox a 22-19 lead with 7:49 to go in the period before the home team exploded. Five different players contributed points in the Beacons' 15-2 outburst that gave them a 34-24 advantage at the break.
The Beacons maintained a double-digit lead for most of the second half and were up by 12 at 58-46 when the Bruins began to rally on a Whitehurst layup with 6:13 to play. Three Whitehurst free throws, a three-point play by Stephen Wiseley, and a layup by Taylor in just over two minutes made it a four-point game at 60-56 with 4:04 left.
The teams swapped two-point plays, either a goal or two free throws, three times over the next two minutes until Kellen Spicer's three-pointer with 1:55 to go made it 69-62 Beacons. The home team then held off any further Bruin comeback by canning 7 of 8 free throws in the final minute.
George Fox had four players in double figures, led by Wiseley with 18 along with three assists. Smith added 17 points, Taylor 16 with a team-high eight rebounds, and Whitehurst contributed 15 points and four steals. The Bruins shot 25-62 (.403) on field goals but were only 3-18 (.167) from three-point range and just 19-33 (.576) from the line.
Spicer led the Beacons with 18 points, hitting 7-9 field goals, including 4-6 from three-point range. Guidry added 15 points and Cameron Marshall 10. NCU sank 27-55 (.491) on field goals and 19-23 (.826) on free throws. Shepard had nine rebounds, leading the Beacons to a 42-33 edge on the glass, while Guidry and Jordan Myers handed out five assists each.
NEXT: George Fox is off until next Tuesday, when the Bruins open Northwest Conference play at Willamette University at 8:00 p.m. The game will be part of an NWC doubleheader, preceded by the women's game at 6:00 p.m. ... Northwest Christian will hit the road this weekend to play in the Mac Martin Tournament at California State University-Chico, facing the host team Friday at 7:30 p.m.