NEWBERG, Ore. --- The Pacific Lutheran Men's Basketball team (9-11, 6-5 NWC) dropped their first road contest since January 4^th, as they fall 80-65 to the George Fox Bruins (10-11, 6-6 NWC).
 
After the Bruins struck first with a jumper, junior Ben Tellez knocked down the Lutes first basket with a driving lay-in. Junior Miles Nash score four-straight points to put the Lutes ahead before George Fox knotted it at 6-6.
 
The game saw seven more occurrences of a tied score, with the Lutes lead capping at five points following and and-one by senior Brandin Riedel with 1:50 remaining in the half, putting the Lutes up 32-27. But the Bruins closed out the first half on a 9-0 run behind four free throws and a late dunk to lead 36-32 at the break.
 
George Fox continued their momentum into the start of the second half, taking a six-point lead before Emmett Holt drained a three to give the Lutes their first basket in nearly five-minutes of game time. Tellez executed a three-point and-one play before the under 16 media timeout, cutting the Bruins lead to five, but a 7-0 for George Fox crept them out to a double-digit lead.
 
Mack Hepper, Jason Montes, and Emmett Holt were able to bring the deficit back down to just five nearing 10-minutes left in the game. The game of runs continued for the opposition though, as a 6-0 run made it a 12-point game, which the Bruins would hold onto for the next six-and-a-half minutes. Riedel put the Lutes within eight with 3:25 remaining, but a 10-3 run ended the game and handed the Lutes a 80-65 road loss.
 
"Tough Loss for us tonight." Said Head Coach Chadd Murray following the loss. "We had a hard time getting in a rhythm offensively right from the start and that really set us back. They provided us with some tough matchups at key spots that we didn't handle well yet again. We'll get back to it tomorrow to see if we can do a better job in all areas."
 
Tellez led the Lutes offensively, as his 50% from the field helped him go for 17-points, three rebounds, and three assists. Riedel handled the glass work, snatching 11 boards, including three on offense. As a team, the Lutes shot 42.6% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. They showed improvement from the charity stripe, going 14-16 for 87.5%. The Lutes 18 turnovers proved to be a large factor in the outcome of the game.
 
The Lutes road trip to Oregon wraps up tomorrow afternoon at Linfield at 4 p.m.
 
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