NEWBERG, Ore.—George Fox University used a late 8-0 run to take control and held on to defeat Lewis & Clark College men's basketball 77-74 on Friday night.
THE BASICS
George Fox 77, Lewis & Clark 74
(Lewis & Clark 13-11, Northwest Conference 7-8)
(George Fox 8-17, Northwest Conference 7-8)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Senior
Brenden Patrick recorded a game-high 25 points and
Jack Henderson and
Jayden Simpson added double-doubles, but the Pioneers couldn't find their way past a scrappy Bruins side.
Patrick finished 9-16 from the field and hit all six of his free throw attempts. The conference's leading scorer tacked on five rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Henderson added 16 points and a game-high 12 boards. He hit two of the Pioneers three 3-pointers and pulled down three offensive rebounds. Simpson finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds, with nine of his 10 boards coming on the offensive glass.
Grant Stewart (nine points) and
Nikko Echalas (eight) were the only other Lewis & Clark players to finish with more than two points.
Chris Nickelberry led the hosts with 23 points, five steals, four rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Charlie Powers (17 points), Kade Sorenson (13) and Nick Greenwood (10) all joined Nickelberry in double-figures.
The first half was a tight affair with neither side leading by more than six. George Fox grabbed a 22-16 lead just past the midway point of the half, before Lewis & Clark responded with a 19-7 spurt to take a 35-29 lead on a Henderson triple. The Pios pushed their lead to six on three occasions late in the half, before a pair of Bruins free throws with under a second to go cut the Lewis & Clark lead to 39-35 at the break.
The second half proved to be even closer with neither team leading by more than five until the final two minutes of regulation. George Fox grabbed a 62-57 lead with 7:40 left but the Pioneers countered with five-straight on a Stewart jumper and a Patrick three to tie the game with 5:28 to play.
The hosts would open up a 70-62 lead with 1:37 to go after they scored on their next four possessions.
Patrick responded with a jumper and two free throws to cut it to four and Henderson added a jumper to make it 70-68 Bruins with 30 seconds to play.
George Fox hit seven of their eight free throw down the stretch and a last-second heave from Echalas was off the mark to wrap up the Bruins win.
BY THE NUMBERS
- With one day left in the Northwest Conference regular season, four teams are currently sitting with seven wins. Lewis & Clark, George Fox and Linfield University are all 7-8 and Pacific Lutheran University is 7-9 (no games left). The Pios host the University of Puget Sound (10-5) on Saturday, while Linfield is at Whitman College (12-2) and George Fox hosts Pacific University (5-9).
- Henderson posted his second-straight double-double and ninth of his career. His 12 rebounds in a single-game are tied for the most by a Pioneer this season.
- Lewis & Clark earned a 43-22 advantage in rebounds, including a 16-3 mark on offensive boards.
- Simpson's double-double was his first of the year and second of his career.
- The Pioneers tied their season-high with 17 turnovers and tied their season-low with three made 3-pointers.
WHO'S NEXT
The Pioneers will close out their season on Saturday when they host Puget Sound at 6 p.m. Prior to the contest, the Pioneers will honor the six members of the program who will be participating in their final regular-season home game.
