George Fox GFU 11-14,6-10 NWC

Whitman Whitm 11-13,9-7 NWC

George Fox GFU

11-14,6-10 NWC

Final

Feb. 19, 2022

Whitman Whitm

11-13,9-7 NWC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
George Fox GFU	39	40	79
Whitman Whitm	52	46	98

Summary
Box Score

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 2/19/2022 10:25:00 PM

Men's Basketball Cruises Past George Fox, Eyes NWC Semis

WALLA WALLA, Wash. - Nikola Trifunovic led all scorers with 26 points on a scorching 7-8 in three pointers, Xzavier Lino added 24 points and 11 rebounds and the Whitman College men's basketball team rolled past George Fox 98-79 on the final day of the Northwest Conference regular season, Saturday night at the Sherwood Center.

The Blues had already secured the No. 4 seed in next week's Northwest Conference Tournament, but now know they will be traveling to top-seeded Linfield for their semifinal matchup.

Austin Clark scored 17 points to lead the Bruins who battled Whitman the last several weeks for that coveted spot in the NWC Tournament before Whitman secured it after Friday night's win vs. Lewis & Clark.

Trifunovic was not the only Blue with a hot hand. Lino shot 12-19 from the floor and Walter Lum, who chipped in 18 points, shot 8-12 from the field. For the game, Whitman shot 64% from the field and 46% from beyond the arc. The Blues not only did their damage from the perimeter, but outscored the Bruins 58-32 in the paint.

To say the Blues set the tone early would be an understatement. Trifunovic's three pointer highlighted a 9-0 run to start the game as the Blues hit their first four shots. Lum added another then, off a Deshpande steal, Trifunovic drained his second three pointer and, all of a sudden, the Blues had started the game on a 14-0 run.

George Fox found a way to make a game of it. Back-to-back three pointers from James Moore and Zach Sly, and a pair of baskets from Clark whittled the lead to 21-15 with 12:17 to play in the first half. Whitman found the stroke again in the form of the long ball as Trifunovic, Lum and Grant Hunt all hit from three in the final 1:49 to give their team a 13-point halftime lead.

The lead swelled to as many as 20 points late in the second half as the Blues won going away.

Whitman and Linfield tip off their NWC Semifinal this Thursday, Feb. 24 in McMinnville, Ore.

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