A big night from Tony Frohlich-Fair wasn’t enough to lift the Evergreen State College men's basketball team past Bushnell University on Saturday, as the Geoducks fell 96-69 in Cascade Collegiate Conference action at the Costantino Recreation Center on Saturday, Jan. 31.
Frohlich-Fair poured in 27 points to lead Evergreen, marking his 10th straight game with at least 20 points. Sophomore guard Kenzel Massey added 12 points, but Bushnell used balanced scoring and a strong rebounding advantage to pull away for the road win.
The Beacons jumped out to an early lead before Evergreen answered with an 11-4 run to briefly move in front on a Frohlich-Fair jumper midway through the first half. Bushnell responded by regaining momentum and took a 51-35 lead into halftime.
Evergreen showed fight early in the second half, trimming a 23-point deficit to 14 behind a 9-0 run capped by a 3-pointer from Frohlich-Fair. The surge proved short-lived, however, as Bushnell answered to put the game out of reach.
The loss dropped the Geoducks to 3-13 overall and 3-11 in conference play. Bushnell improved to 11-10 overall and 8-6 in the CCC.
Frohlich-Fair continued to solidify his place among the nation’s top scorers, finishing with 27 points on 11 of 14 shooting from the free-throw line. He also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, dished out three assists and recorded a steal. He currently leads the Cascade Collegiate Conference in scoring and ranks fourth nationally in the NAIA at 25.8 points per game.
Massey chipped in 12 points and four rebounds, while Tyler No scored seven points. Kohrey Bridges contributed five points, four rebounds and two assists, and Jayson Mathews added four rebounds and two assists. Frohlich-Fair and Massey each knocked down two 3-pointers for Evergreen.
Bushnell was led by Cory Johnson’s 24 points and Keenan Reckamp’s 20.
Bushnell finished the night shooting 45.9% from the field and held a decisive 52-35 advantage on the glass, including a 19-10 edge in offensive rebounds. Evergreen shot 36.9% overall and committed just eight turnovers, matching Bushnell in ball security.
The Geoducks get back to action on Friday, Feb. 6, when they travel to face Eastern Oregon University in La Grande at 7:30 p.m.
