TACOMA, Wash. - The Pacific Lutheran University men's basketball team surged back from a 19-point deficit but was unable to fully seize control down the stretch, stumbling 84-74 to Northwest Conference rival George Fox University on Friday night inside Olson Gymnasium. 

The Lutes (4-7, 1-2 NWC) were staring at a 55-36 deficit with 17:30 remaining in the game before battling back, using a 20-6 run to close within five on a Carlton Brown layup with 9:25 to go. The Bruins (9-3, 3-0 NWC) mushroomed their advantage back up to double digits with just over five minutes to go but the Lutes again answered the call, closing within a possession after a Zac Webb steal turned into a Brown bucket with 3:07 remaining. That bucket closed the gap to 72-69 and was part of a larger 31-16 run for the Lutes.

PLU again trailed by just three at 74-71 off a Jordan Thomas basket with 2:04 remaining but George Fox capitalized on consecutive turnovers to build a double digit lead with under a minute to go and held on for the win. 

"I was really fired up and pleased with the way we battled back tonight in the second half," said Head Coach Chad Murray. "This team is really coming together and realizing some really important things about how we need to play moving forward. We've got to improve some basketball related items and learn to develop some more poise against pressure but that will come with experience and a willingness to do some unrequired work on our skills."

The opening minutes saw three lead changes and two ties before the Bruins took control, building a double-digit lead midway through the opening half and taking a 46-34 lead into the halftime break. 

The Lutes utilized a balanced scoring attack with five players finishing in double figures. Kelton Williams led the way with 17 points while Webb had 15 points off the bench, hitting seven of his eight shots from the floor along with seven rebounds. Leighton Kingma scored 12 points while netting eight rebounds and seven blocks while Nasseen Gutierrez-Orozco scored 12 points in just 12 minutes of work. Brown was the fifth Lute registering in double figures with 10 points and a team-best five assists.

"I thought our half court defense was pretty good throughout. What killed us was our live ball turnovers and our transition defense that led to some open threes for them and that's a recipe for disaster. We're really excited to play again tomorrow and show some more growth."

The Lutes return to the hardwood tomorrow evening, hosting Willamette University at 6 p.m.