NEWBERG, Ore. – Jonny Howard sank three free throws with 0.5 left in regulation to tie the game, then hit three three-point field goals in overtime to lift the George Fox University Bruins to an 82-79 win over the Northwest Christian University Beacons in non-conference men's basketball Tuesday night here at the Wheeler Sports Center's Miller Gym.
George Fox improved to 5-1, the best overall record in the Northwest Conference in the early going under first-year head coach Maco 'Shark' Hamilton. Northwest Christian, in its first season under former University of Oregon star and NBA player Luke Jackson and with three NCAA Division I transfers in its starting lineup, slipped to 5-3.
It took almost two-and-a-half minutes for either team to score, with the Beacons getting on the board first and scoring the first six points of the game on two free throws and a layup by Austin Kuemper, an Oregon transfer, and a dunk by Spencer Coleman, who last played at the University of Montana. The Bruins answered with an 8-0 run on a pair of three-pointers by Howard and two free throws by Eli Graham to go up by two with 13:48 to go in the half.
The game remained tight over the next six minutes before the Beacons went on a 12-3 run to build their largest lead of the half at 31-21 with 3:10 left, sealing the outburst with a three by Travis Pacos. The Bruins closed the period with an 11-2 spurt of their own, Jason Martin igniting the rally with a layup and three free throws. Mitchell Rettmann drained a three and Spencer Bolte sank three free throws as the Bruins narrowed the gap to 33-32 at the intermission.
The second half was nip-and-tuck, with 12 lead changes, four ties, and no lead larger than four points for either team. Northwest Christian took a 36-32 lead as Kuemper connected on a conventional three-point play to open the period, and the Bruins had three-point leads twice, the first at 43-40 on a Howard layup at 14:39 and again at 52-49 on a tie-breaking three by A.J. Grant at 6:47. The Beacons rallied to take four-point leads three more times, the last at 63-59 with 43 seconds left on two charity tosses by Kuemper.
Howard hit a three with 29 seconds left to trim the margin to one before Coleman canned two freebies for a three-point lead with 23 ticks to go. Howard and Pacos traded single free throws before the Bruins got one last chance to tie. Howard, closely guarded by Nick Sullivan, got off a contested three with a second left and drew the foul, then calmly sank all three shots to send the game into overtime at 66-all.
Howard's first three 25 seconds in gave the Bruins a 69-66 lead and they never trailed again. Back-to-back treys by Howard pushed the lead to 77-70 with 2:32 left, and the Bruins were able to keep the Beacons at bay with a free throw by Graham and two free tosses by Howard around a fast-break layup by Grant.
Howard finished with a career-high 29 points, 14 of them in the final five minutes and one second, by hitting 8-12 from the floor, including 7-11 from downtown, and 6-7 at the line. Bolte added 13 points, Sean Atkins 12 before fouling out in regulation, and Graham 10. Seth Brent grabbed eight rebounds and Bolte seven as the Bruins held a 45-41 edge on the glass against the bigger Beacons. Bolte also had game highs of five assists and four steals.
Kuemper and Coleman each had double-doubles for the Beacons, Kuemper with 34 points and 10 rebounds and Coleman with 22 points and 13 boards. The 6-9 Kuemper was 11-17 from the field and 12-16 from the line, while the 6-7 Coleman was 8-12 on field goals and 5-7 at the stripe. Pacos added 14 points and Coleton Baker, another U of O transfer, scored nine with seven rebounds. Coleman had four assists and made three steals.
NEXT: George Fox concludes its four-game home stand Saturday at 8:00 p.m. against Yamhill County rival Linfield College, inaugurating Northwest Conference play … The game will be part of an conference doubleheader as the Bruin women will play the Wildcat women in the evening's first match at 6:00 p.m. … Northwest Christian visits Corban University Friday for a Cascade Collegiate Conference clash at 7:30 p.m.