Box Score

FOREST GROVE – Pacific found few answers for some tough three-point shooting from George Fox Saturday and struggled to make their offense click all night as the Boxers fell to the Bruins 61-53 in Northwest Conference men's basketball action at the Stoller Center.
 
The Bruins (5-8, 2-2 NWC) connected on 9 of 21 from outside the arch, burying six of those in the first half.  The extra points proved to be critical in an even shooting night for both teams.  George Fox shot 44.7 percent for the contest (21-47), while the Boxers connected for 44 percent (22-50).  Pacific managed just 3 of 12 from three-point range and went 6 of 14 from the free throw line.
 
Freshman A.J. Grant led the charge for the Bruins, leading all scorers with 21 points on 6 of 11 from the field.  Grant hit three of his four three-points in the first half.  Mike Taylor added 14 points.
 
David Berney (Jr., Eugene, Ore.) came off the bench to lead Pacific with 15 points on 6 of 14 from the field.  Charles Mosley (Jr., Hillsboro, Ore.) scored 12 to go along with a game-high seven rebounds and Marc Eppinger (Fr., Hermiston, Ore.) scored 10 points off the bench, all of the first half.  Pacific (8-5, 2-2 NWC) out-rebounded the Bruins 35-25, but coughed up 13 turnovers.
 
The first half played out close as both teams took some time to find their shooting touch early.  The Bruins led 19-17 at the 7:19 mark when Grant's third three-pointer keyed a short run that gave George Fox their biggest lead of the half, 24-17.  Pacific scored the next six points, coming within one on Eppinger's lay-in with 5:18 left.
 
The Bruins snapped a 3-minute scoreless drought for both teams with Sean Atkins' lay-in with 3:33 left.  George Fox pushed their lead back to six on Taylor's trey and the Bruins went into halftime with a 31-26 advantage.
 
Dustin Bowser (Jr., Bellingham, Wash.), who was limited in the opening half by three fouls, came alive to score the Boxers' first six points of the second, including a breakaway dunk at the 17:32 mark that gave the Boxers a 32-31 lead.  The teams traded the lead four times over the first 12 minutes of the stanza, with the Boxers owning a 43-41 advantage on a Berney free throw with 8:15 left.
 
Grant hit his fourth three-pointer on the Bruins' next possession, which started a 12-2 run that all but closed the contest in favor of the Bruins.  Grant closed the run with a three-point play with 3:55 left that gave George Fox their biggest lead of the night at eight points, 53-45.  Pacific would come no closer than six points the rest of the way.
 
The Bruins are now 5-4 in games played away from Newberg and go into next week looking for their first home victory of the season.  Pacific is now 5-3 on the Stoller Center home floor.
 
Pacific now returns to the road for their next three games, which includes the tough eastern Washington road trip.  The Boxers play Friday at No. 11 Whitworth and on Saturday at Whitman.  Both games can be heard via live audio webcast by logging on to www.goboxers.com/webcasts.  George Fox returns to action Friday when they host No. 16 Puget Sound.