NEWBERG, Ore. – After building a 21-point lead with four-and-a-half minutes left, the George Fox University Bruins had to fight off a furious Willamette University comeback in order to win a critical Northwest Conference men's basketball game 80-74 over the Bearcats Friday night here at the Wheeler Sports Center's Miller Gym.

With the win, George Fox climbed to 12-8 overall and 7-4 in the conference, moving into a three-way tie for second place with Lewis & Clark College, which lost at Whitworth University 89-70, and Whitman College, which hammered Pacific University 101-68.  Willamette had a serious crimp put in its hopes for a spot in the four-team NWC Tournament as the Bearcats fell to 7-12 overall and 4-6 in the league.

The first half of the game was tightly contested, with three ties, six lead changes, and no lead larger than five until late in the period.  The Bruins got the first score on a three-pointer by A.J. Grant, and after Sean Dart put the Bearcats on the board with a layup, Anthony Sanchez and Grant scored to give the Bruins a 7-2 lead four minutes in.  A three-point play by Dart tied it 9-9, but a Sean Atkins layup put the Bruins back in front with 13:31 left.

A three by Elliot Babcock-Krenk gave Willamette its first lead of 19-17 with eight minutes to go, but the Bruins regained the lead on a basket and two free throws by Josh Garlington.  The Bearcats went ahead for the final time in the half on a layup by Terrell Malley that made it 26-24 with 3:32 to play, but a 7-0 Bruin run featuring a three by Seth Brent and a basket and two charity tosses by Atkins enabled George Fox to take its largest lead of 34-28 with 1:47 left.  The Bruins led 34-30 at the half.

Willamette twice trimmed its deficit to two points early in the second half before the Bruins began to pull away.  A 12-4 run over a three-and-a-half minute span that included seven points by Atkins and another three by Brent gave the home team its first 10-point margin of 48-38 with 15 minutes remaining.  The Bearcats cut the gap back to six at 52-46 on a layup by Dart with 10:50 to play - and then the Bruins really took off, out-scoring the visitors 19-4 over the next six minutes to build a 21-point lead of 71-50 with 4:31 left.  Garlington started the explosion with a three, Jason Martin and Atkins also connected from long range, and Spencer Bolte capped the rally with a jumper.

There was no surrender in the Bearcats, however, as they roared back with eight straight points on baskets by Kyle McNally and Alex Brown and four free throws by Malley.  After two Bolte free throws, layups by Malley and McNally and a three by Oliver Hughes cut the margin to single digits at 73-65 with 54 seconds left.  Hughes hit two more threes around free throws by Grant and Martin to make it 77-71 with 15 seconds left, but one freebie by Garlington and two by Bolte were enough to offset a buzzer-beating three by Babcock-Krenk as the Bruins hung on.

Atkins posted his first double-double of the season with 20 points and 11 rebounds, leading the Bruins to a 46-39 advantage on the boards.  Garlington scored a career-high 13, Grant and Sanchez added 12 each, and Bolte finished with 10, all in the second half.  Brent contributed nine rebounds, Sanchez handed out six assists, and Atkins and Grant made three steals.  Atkins also blocked a pair of shots.

Babcock-Krenk led the Bearcats with 15 points, including three threes, Malley and Hughes had 14 with the latter making four threes, and Dart scored 12.  Dart was also the team leader with eight rebounds, while Trevor Box passed out four assists and Brown made two steals.  McNally stuffed five Bruin shots.

NEXT: George Fox closes out the home season Saturday against Yamhill County rival Linfield College at 8:00 p.m.  Three graduating seniors - Jon Adrian, Sanchez, and Matt Zandbergen - will be honored in pre-game ceremonies ... Willamette hosts the University of Puget Sound Saturday, also at 8:00 p.m. ... Both games will be preceded by NWC women's contests at 6:00 p.m.