NEWBERG, Ore. – Led by Sean Atkins' 14 points, five George Fox University players scored in double figures as the Bruins pulled away late to defeat the Colorado College Tigers 63-58 in the Bon Appetit / Northwest Conference Men's Basketball Tip-Off Classic Saturday night here at the Wheeler Sports Center's Miller Gym.
It was the season opener for the Bruins, who were picked to finish sixth in the Northwest Conference this year, and the Tigers, who tied for second in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference pre-season poll.
The game was a tight one through the first 14 minutes, with five ties and neither team holding more than a four-point lead. A layup by Tiger center Chris Lesnansky forged the final tie of the period at 17-17 with 5:45 to go before the Bruins broke the deadlock on a Matt Zandbergen free throw at the 5:22 mark.
Anthony Sanchez completed a conventional three-point play with five minutes left to make it a four-point game, and the Bruins extended their lead to eight at 29-21 on a layup by Sanchez with 2:27 to play. Ian Rewoldt hit two free throws for Colorado College and Jason Martin one for George Fox to make the score 30-23 at the half.
A pair of baskets by Atkins in the first minute of the second half boosted the Bruin lead to 11 at 34-23 before the Tigers rallied. Fueled by three consecutive layups by Lesnansky, the Tigers out-scored the Bruins 19-6 over a seven-minute span, Doug Pierce's three-pointer capping the outburst to give Colorado College a 42-40 lead with 12:09 remaining.
The Bruins tied it at 11:23 on a jumper by Josh Garlington, and there were five lead changes and two ties over the next nine minutes. Milne tied it for the last time at 54-54 on two free throws with 2:40 left, but the rest of the game belonged to the Bruins. Spencer Bolte's driving layup put the home team ahead for good at 2:09, and Lesnansky had a rare miss in close, giving A.J. Grant the chance to nail a three-point dagger with 1:34 left. A jumper and two free throws by Sanchez in the final 20 seconds sealed the win.
Joining Atkins, who went 7-12 from the field, in the scoring column for the Bruins were Martin and Grant with 12 apiece, and Sanchez and Bolte with 11 each. Three players - Atkins, Martin, and Sanchez - had five rebounds each, while Sanchez handed out four assists.
The Tigers were led by Lesnansky, who was 11-16 from the floor en route to a game-high 24 points, and Milne, a pre-season Fourth Team All-America pick by D3hoops.com who averaged 19 points a game last year, added 11 but went 3-11 from the field in doing so. Rewoldt had a game-high 10 boards as the Tigers owned the glass 36-31. Milne and Rewoldt passed out four assists apiece.
Earlier in the evening at George Fox, the Hardin-Simmons University Cowboys from the American Southwest Conference knocked off the Pacific University Boxers from the NWC 73-66.
The Tip-Off Classic is taking place at four NWC schools - George Fox, Pacific, Willamette University and Lewis & Clark College - each of which uses the Bon Appetit Management Company as their institutions' food service provider. Each NWC team will play two of four visiting teams from other conferences over a two-day span.
NEXT: On the second day of the Tip-Off Classic Saturday, George Fox will play the University of California-Santa Cruz at Pacific's Stoller Center in Forest Grove, Ore., at 5:00 p.m. ... Colorado College will play Lewis & Clark at Willamette in Salem, Ore., at 7:00 p.m.