Box Score
EUGENE, Ore. – Plagued by foul trouble early and often,
Kellen Spicer emerged with 18 points in 15 valuable minutes of work on Tuesday night, leading the Beacons to a 78-72 win over George Fox University. It was the first win for NCU over the Bruins in eight years.
Northwest Christian, leading the conference in field goal percentage, had another solid night on the floor, shooting just under 50% for the game. After a slow start, the Beacons emerged with a ten-point lead at the intermission, 34-24. George Fox rallied in the second half to climb within four points, but NCU put the game away at the free-throw line in the final minute. Northwest Christian went 15-for-17 at the charity stripe in the second half and shot 83% at the line in the contest.
Behind the 18-point effort from Spicer, who shot 4-for-6 from three-point range, the Beacons (4-2) were led by
Quentin Guidry with 15 points and five assists.
Cameron Marshall added ten points and in his first career start, redshirt freshman
Jordan Myers added five points and five assists.
Greg Shepard had his best night of the season off the bench, scoring seven points and leading all players with nine rebounds.
The Beacons collected five blocks and eight steals on a strong defensive night in which they forced 13 turnovers and held the Bruins to 25% shooting in the first half and a 40% clip overall. NCU's depth was on showcase once again as the Beacon bench outscored the George Fox reserves, 24-2.
George Fox (0-3) had four players in double figures. Stephen Wiseley scored 18, Rich Smith had 17, Mike Taylor added 16 and a team-high eight rebounds, and Cole Whitehurst followed with 15 points and four steals.
The Beacons win consecutive games for the first time this season. It was also the first win for the Beacons over George Fox since February 2, 2002, a span of seven victories for the Bruins. GFU is now 20-5 all-time against NCU.
Northwest Christian will hit the road this weekend for another trip to California, playing in the Mac Martin Tournament at Cal State Chico.
