Feb. 17 NWC Basketball Wrap (Stories provided by host SID)

Women: At George Fox 82, Lewis & Clark 55

Newberg, Ore. – Playing her final home game, senior post Darby Cave went out with a bang, recording a double-double with game highs of 19 points and 13 rebounds to lead the George Fox University Bruins past the Lewis & Clark College Pioneers 82-55 in Northwest Conference women's basketball Tuesday night here at Miller Gym in the Wheeler Sports Center.

George Fox was in complete control throughout, hitting its first four shots, scoring the first 10 points of the game, and building its first 20-point lead at 28-8 on a pair of free throws by Robin Taylor with 9:40 left in the half.  The Bruins led 48-19 at the break after hitting 55.6% (15-27) from the field while holding the Pios to 17.9% (5-28).

The Bruins’ largest lead of the game came with 4:13 left in the second half as Melissa Alexander canned a layup for a 39-point advantage at 81-42.  The Pios closed the gap by scoring 13 of the game’s final 14 points.

Cave’s double-double was her 3rd of the season and 8th of her career.  She was joined in the scoring column by Taylor with 15, Kim Leith with 14, and Kellie Thomas with 10.  The Bruins’ only other senior, wing Amy Fitch, had a game-high 6 assists.  Liz Clark picked off 7 steals to lead the defense, which forced 24 Pioneer turnovers.  The Bruins also controlled the backboards 50-45.

Sarah Moon came off the bench to lead the Pioneers with 11 points, while Carrie Centlivre and Krystle Mortimore added 10 each.  Lindsay Sweetland was the top rebounder for the Pios with 9, and Centlivre had 4 assists.

It was the 4th straight win for the Bruins, by a total of 81 points over that span, and raised their record to 13-9 overall and 7-7 in the conference.  The Pioneers dipped to 5-16 overall and 2-10 in the league. 

The Bruins are off until Monday, Feb. 23, when they will play a non-conference makeup game against St. Martin’s College at 7:00 p.m. in Lacey, Wash.  The Bruins and Lady Saints had been scheduled for Jan. 3 but were snowed out.  The Pioneers go to Pacific Lutheran University, one of the co-leaders in the NWC, this Friday, Feb. 20.

Men: At George Fox 83, Lewis & Clark 76

Newberg, Ore. - Led by outstanding final home games by seniors Brett Yeager and Bryan Wadlow and clutch free throw shooting in the final minute, the George Fox University Bruins closed out the home portion of their men’s basketball season with an 83-76 win over the Lewis & Clark College Pioneers in a tight Northwest Conference contest Tuesday night at Miller Gym in the Wheeler Sports Center.

George Fox trailed only once the entire game, when Mike Kirkham hit a jumper for a 5-4 Pioneer lead with 16:52 left in the first half, but were never able to shake the Pios.  The Bruins’ 38-31 lead at the break was their largest of the first period, and they stretched it to as many as 10 three times in the second half, the last at 48-38 on a layup by Mark Gayman with 15:36 left in the game. 

The Pioneers battled back and tied it twice, the second at 65-65 on a layin by Adam Merino with 3:53 left, but were never able to take the lead.  Merino hit another layup with 51 second left to cut a George Fox lead to 72-69, and the Pios then went to a fouling strategy in hopes of cutting into the margin further.  The Bruins responded, however, as Aaron Schmick hit 6-of-6, Wadlow made 4-of-4, and Yeager hit 1-of-2 to keep the Pios at bay.

Yeager, the Bruins’ “6th man” for most of the year, played perhaps the finest all-around game of his career, starting and scoring a game and career-high 21 points, hitting 8-of-13 from the field, with 5 rebounds and 3 assists.  Wadlow did not miss a shot, hitting 4-of-4 from the field, including a pair of 3-pointers, and 4-of-4 from the line for 14 points, with 8 rebounds and 4 assists.  Gayman added a double-double, his 6th of the season and 14th of his career, with 20 points and 13 boards, Scott Szalay scored 12, and Ben Melvin added 10.  The Bruins shot 50.0% (28-56) from the field and 83.3% (20-24) from the line.  Rebounds were even at 40-40.

The Pioneers got two double-doubles as John Mietus tallied 19 points and 15 rebounds and Tommy Magnuson had 17 points and 11 boards.  Ryan Wells added 17 points, but Pios’ No. 2 scorer and 5th-ranked 3-point field goal shooter in the country, Danny Winchester, struggled with only 8 points on 3-of-15 shooting and only 2 treys.  Wells had 3 assists, and the Pios committed only 4 turnovers the entire game.  However, they hit only 35.1% (26-74) from the field and 65.2% (15-23) from the line.

George Fox climbed to 7-16 overall and 3-11 in the conference while snapping a 10-game losing streak to the Pioneers.  Lewis & Clark fell to 13-8 overall and 6-6 in the league.

The Bruins are off for 10 days, not playing again until they visit Whitworth College on Friday, Feb. 27.  The Pioneers go to Pacific Lutheran University this Friday, Feb. 20.