TACOMA, Wash. — A scoring drought in the final three minutes proved untimely for the Pacific Lutheran University men's basketball team on Saturday evening, as Northwest Conference rival George Fox University scored the final nine points to escape Olson Gymnasium with a 75-70 victory. 
 
"We lost our focus in terms of handling their pressure which gave them life and confidence," said Head Coach Chad Murray.
 
"They started knocking down shots and we tightened up and couldn't convert on some key possessions down the stretch."
 
Saturday's game was a wild one that featured 11 lead changes and seven ties. A back and forth first half ultimately saw the homestanding Lutes (4-9, 1-3 NWC) take a 42-35 lead into the locker room after Miles Nash hit a jumper in the waning moments of the period. 
 
A Henry Smith trey early in the second half established a double digit buffer for PLU, but it proved fleeting, with the Bruins (6-7, 2-2 NWC) scoring the next eight points to make it a one possession ballgame with 10:32 remaining. It was a razor thin margin the rest of the way. GFU had its first lead of the second half on a jumper with 7:16 remaining. The lead would swap hands six more times down the stretch.
 
A pair of Miles Nash free throws gave PLU a 70-66 lead with 3:08 left in the game in what proved to be PLU's final points of the night, ending the game by missing its final four shots and turning the ball over three times in the final two minutes. GFU took the lead on a pair of Nick Greenwood free throws with 35 ticks left and hit four more shots from the charity stripe in the final seconds to preserve the win.
 
Nash led all scorers with 20 points, going a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe while dishing out three assists. Ben Tellez had 12 points and two steals while Charlie Kapranos was a spark off the bench with 12 points and four rebounds in just 16 minutes of action. Brandin Riedel was the fourth Lute in double figures with 10 points, going five-for-seven from the floor. Emmett Holt was PLU's top rebounder with seven while Julian Brown had a half dozen.

PLU shot a blistering 61.5 percent (16-for-26) from the field in the first half but cooled off in the final 20 minutes of play, ending the night 25-for-54 from the floor (46.3 percent).
 
"It's a very disappointing weekend but with a quick turnaround for Tuesday we need to be able to move forward and perform well at UPS."
 
The Lutes are back in action on Tuesday night, making the short trek across town for a showdown with the University of Puget Sound. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.