BOX SCORE
NEWBERG, Ore. – The Lewis & Clark
men's basketball team dropped a heart-breaking 91-90 contest
to the George Fox Bruins in Northwest Conference action on Friday
night at the Wheeler Sports Center. The loss drops the Pioneers to
9-13 on the season and 8-7 in the NWC, while the Bruins improve to
12-12 overall and 9-6 in conference.
The Pioneers scored the game's first six points on a jumper by Kyle
Meeuwsen and two layups by Josh Kollasch, only to have the Bruins
answer with six of their. Six was the biggest lead either team had
until the Bruins pulled away late in the half. The Bruins broke a
27-27 tie with a three-pointer at the 4:22 mark, sparking a 9-0
Bruin run. The Bruins would add a couple more points to their lead,
to send the game into the half at 39-32.
The Bruins regained the lead on a layup early in the second half,
and went on a 12-4 run to take a 69-62 lead with 5:48 left. James
Hollins answered for the Pios with a basket and four free throws
over the next two minutes to knot it again 69-69. The Bruins built
a four-point lead of 74-70 with 2:21 showing, but the Pios stayed
close with a three by Kollasch. After Atwater and Meeuwsen traded
baskets, Jack Martin gave the Bruins a 78-75 lead with 15 seconds
left on a pair of free throws, but Edwards drained a three from the
top with five ticks remaining to send it into overtime.
The Bruins scored the first four points of the extra period on free
throws, but the Pios rallied and finally tied it 84-84 on a layup
by Kollasch with 1:51 to go. The Pios used consecutive three-point
plays by Kollasch and P.J. Taylor to offset baskets by the Bruins
for a 90-88 lead with 21 seconds left, but Alex Stockner made a
three-point play of his own with nine seconds left for a 91-90
lead. The game still hung in the balance, however, as Edwards drove
the lane for a short jumper, got his own miss and put it back up,
but that one was short as time expired.
Kollasch led the Pioneers with 24 points, while Edwards finished
with 21 and Kyle Meeuwsen with 20. James Hollins was one rebound
away from finishing with a double-double, pulling down nine boards
and scoring 12 points.
Stockner led all scorers with 26 points for the Bruins, Rich Smith
notched his sixth double-double with 25 points and 12 rebounds, and
Stephen Wiseley added 14 points. Martin handed out six assists.
The Bruins are currently ranked third in conference, while the
Pioneers are in fourth. The two sides have secured spots in the
playoffs, with George Fox as the No. 3 and the Pios as the No. 4,
but both teams have the opportunity to finish the regular season
tied for third place. The Pioneers return to action on Saturday,
Feb. 20 as they head to Tacoma, Wash. to face the Puget Sound
Loggers at 8 p.m.
