FOREST GROVE – A fast-paced game played to the favor of George Fox Friday night as the Bruins shot their way to a 100-87 victory over Pacific in Northwest Conference men's basketball action at the Stoller Center.
Five Bruins' players finished in double figures as George Fox (6-14, 4-7 NWC) shot 60 percent from the field (33-55). They engaged the Boxers in a blistering back-and-forth game in the second half, shooting 66.7 percent in the final 20 minutes.
Carson Bartlett (Jr., St. Helens, Ore.) led the Boxers with 24 points, shooting 7 of 12 from the field and 7 of 10 from the free throw line. LeMar Anglin (Sr., Chicago, Ill.) finished with 23 points while Colin Wester (So., Sherwood, Ore.) added 15 points. The Boxers shot 43.1 percent from the field for the game (31-72).
Stephen Wiseley and Mike Taylor each scored 28 points to pace the Bruins. Wiseley finished shooting 7 of 10 from the field and 6 of 8 from three-point range, while Taylor went 11 of 16 and also netted 10 rebounds. Cole Whitehurst finished with 18 points and Sean Atkins came off the bench to finish with 10.
The Bruins broke open a close game on a Wiseley three-pointer at the 11:33 mark, opening a 15-6 run that gave George Fox a 30-19 lead with 6:28 left. Rich Smith's free throw gave George Fox their biggest first half lead of 14 points, 35-21, with 3:36 to go. The Boxers managed to cut the lead to eight on Cameron Hayes' (Fr., Milton, Wash.) steal and lay-in with 1:18 remaining, but the Bruins scored the final three points to go into halftime with the 41-29 lead.
George Fox opened the second half by scoring five of the first seven points, building their biggest lead of 18 points on a Wiseley trey a minute and a half into the stanza. The Boxers then came alive as a Bartlett free throw ignited a 22-8 run, culminating on a pair of Wester free throws that brought Pacific within 57-53 with 11:01 to go. A minute later, Bartlett connected on a three-pointer to bring Pacific within three, 61-58, with 10:17 to go.
That is as close as the Boxers would get as the Bruins would not slow down on their shooting spree. Wiseley hit another three-pointer that put the Bruins ahead 13 at 77-64. Pacific narrowed the lead back to seven points on a Charles Mosley (So., Hillsboro, Ore.) lay-in, but would come no closer as the Bruins built their lead to 15 points late in the game,
Pacific returns to the road for their next three games and return to the court on Saturday at Willamette. George Fox returns home to host Lewis & Clark. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.