By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Daniel Plumer (So., PG, North Las Vegas, NV/Democracy Preparatory Academy) scored 21 points for Willamette University against George Fox University on Saturday, April 24 at Cone Field House, but the Bruins defeated the Bearcats, 86-70. GFU led by just three points with 14:55 left in the game and by eight points with 11:46 remaining, before the Bruins pulled away.
George Fox advanced its record to 5-11 on the season, 5-5 in the Northwest Conference. Willamette concluded its season at 0-4 overall, 0-4 in the NWC.
Plumer was one of three Bearcats who provided WU with double-digit scoring. Joshua Perez (So., W, Los Angeles, CA/John Marshall HS) scored 14 points, while DeMarco Reed (So., PG, San Antonio, TX/Harlan HS) added 13 points. Plumer, who went 8 of 16 from the field, led the Bearcats with seven rebounds and contributed one steal.
Jack Boydell (So., F, Sonoma, CA/Sonoma Valley HS) tallied nine points and grabbed six boards for Willamette. Reed supplied three boards, three assists, and a game-high three steals. Ryan Peterson (Sr., P, Edmonds, WA/Edmonds-Woodway HS) was credited with six rebounds for the Bearcats.
Ryan Lacey topped George Fox with 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting to go along with four boards, two assists, and two blocked shots. Zach Sly hit the nets for 14 points, while Kalu Stricklin and Charlie Powers each scored 10 points. Stricklin, JD Ahlstrom, and Brendan Ritschard registered six rebounds apiece. Powers led the Bruins with five assists.
Willamette took a 9-4 lead with 17:42 to go in the opening half. The early run featured six points from Plumer, including a fast-break layup to complete the offensive surge. George Fox recorded the next five points to tie the score on a pair of free throws by Lacey with 15:09 on the clock.
The Bearcats countered with a jumper by Reed and a layup from Jordan Pearce (Fy., P, Meridian, ID/Meridian HS) for a 13-9 edge just under a minute later. A 9-0 run by the Bruins put GFU up 18-13 at the 12:31 mark. Willamette regained the lead at 21-20 on a pair of free throws by Boydell with 8:31 to go in the half. Plumer tacked on a free throw 29 seconds later for a two-point advantage.
George Fox recorded 15 unanswered points, including six from Zac Schmerber on a 3-point basket plus three free throws after he was fouled on another 3-point attempt. The Bruins owned a 35-22 margin with 3:19 left. WU responded with an 8-0 run of its own, including a traditional three-point play from Plumer. After Mason Hoffman (Fy., P, Sammamish, WA/Seattle Preparatory School) hit a 3-point shot with 35 seconds left, the Bearcats were within 37-32. Stricklin made 1 of 2 free throws for GFU with five seconds remaining.
WU pulled within two points twice in the first two minutes of the second half. The second time was on a layup by Reed that cut the lead to 40-38 with 18:27 to play. The teams exchanged scoring chances for several minutes. A layup by Perez with 14:55 to go moved the Bearcats within 47-44.
Two layups by Lacey and a 3-pointer by Sly quickly increased the Bruins' lead to 54-44 at the 13:19 mark. The Bearcats reduced the margin to 56-48 on a layup by Plumer with 11:46 left. GFU registered seven of the next eight points to claim a 63-49 advantage as the clock reached 8:23. The Bruins held a double-digit lead the rest of the way.
Willamette shot 46.4% from the field (26 of 56), while George Fox connected on 44.6% of its field goals (29 of 65). Both teams struggled on 3-pointers, as GFU hit 5 of 27 (18.5%) and WU went 3 for 12 (25.0%). The Bruins sank 23 of 27 free throws (85.2%), while the Bearcats converted 15 of 23 free throws (65.2%). Each team ended the game with 35 rebounds.