Men’s Basketball: George Fox 80, Corban 74

Martin just misses triple-double as Bruins top Warriors.

George Fox's Jack Martin is from Chico, California. Photo Courtesy: George Fox Athletics

NEWBERG, Ore. - Jack Martin fell just two rebounds short of the first George Fox University men’s basketball triple-double in 17 years and Evan Atwater scored a game-high 23 points, leading the Bruins to an 80-74 win over the Corban College Warriors in their final non-conference game of the season Monday night here at the Wheeler Sports Center’s Miller Gym.

Martin ended the contest with 17 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds. There have been nine triple-doubles in Bruin history, the last one on Nov. 19th, 1991, when NAIA All-American center Dave Wilson posted 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 13 blocked shots against Northwest Christian.

The last one to include assists was Brian Martin on March 2nd, 1991, with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists vs. Willamette.

Corban led for the first four minutes of the contest and George Fox for the final 36, but the game was in doubt until the very end. Baskets by Ian Logan and Paul Martin around a Clay Martin free throw gave the Warriors a 5-0 lead in the first minute-and-a-half before a layup by the Bruins’ Martin put the home team on the board.

Following a layup by Ben Potloff to make it 7-2, the Bruins reeled off 10 unanswered points to move ahead. A layup and free throw by Alex Stockner followed by a long-range three by Martin gave the Bruins the lead for good at 8-7 with 16 minutes left in the half. Layins by Stockner and Joe Ahn completed the Bruins’ run, and they led by as many as 10 in the half before settling for a 36-30 lead at the break.

In the second half, the Bruins twice took 10-point leads, the final time at 66-56 on a pair of Martin free throws with 9:03 left. The Warriors fought back, however, and three times climbed within two points, only to have the Bruins answer each time.

A three-pointer by Paul Martin brought Corban within 69-67 with 4:16 to play, but Dan Lingenfelder countered that by making all three of his free throws after being fouled on a three-point attempt. Another trey by Clay Martin made it 72-70 with 2:27 to go, but Stockner responded with a layup. Potloff hit on a drive to cut the gap to 76-74 with 34 seconds left, but Martin and Atwater each sank of pair of free throws to ice the win.

In addition to Atwater’s 23 and Martin’s 17, Stockner contributed 14 points to the Bruins’ cause. Martin’s eight boards and seven each by Travis Toedtemeier and Bryan O’Connell enabled the Bruins to hold a 37-35 edge in rebounds. George Fox shot .475 (29-61) for the game, including .517 (15-29) in the second half, and sank .842 (16-19) from the line.

The Warriors had four players in double figures: Clay Martin with 22, Logan with 19, and Paul Martin and Erik Cronrath with 12 each. Cronrath with eight rebound s and Clay Martin with seven topped the Warriors. Potloff had four assists and three steals. Corban shot .460 (29-63) from the field but only .579 (11-19) from the stripe.

George Fox (4-5) enters Northwest Conference play this weekend in eastern Washington, taking on No. 19 Whitworth University Friday and Whitman College Saturday. Both games tip off at 8:00 PM following NWC women’s games at 6:00 PM. Corban (4-8) visits defending NAIA Division II national champion and current No. 1 Oregon Institute of Technology Friday at 7:30 PM.

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