Box Score
The Bruin basketball season officially kicked off in the Tip-Off tournament hosted by Trinity Baptist College in Jacksonville, Florida. The men were anxious to get on the court after weeks of hard work and preparation. The team would face a tough first test as the Trinity Baptist College Eagles had the advantage in height and size. The Eagles went 20-10 last year and Coach Pat Milligan had most of his players returning this year.
From the opening tip, the Eagles showed their experience as the team’s physical play took its toll on the Bruins. Coach Ring’s men committed several turnovers and the team showed their first-game jitters all throughout the opening minutes. As the two teams battled back and forth the Bruins made a run to cut the game to eight as the score was 44-36 at halftime with the Bruins trailing.
“We showed our inexperience a lot tonight,” Coach Ring said. “The guys were working hard, but we have a big learning curve.”
As the second half began, the Bruins came out looking to improve on their first half performance. The team made great plays and played better defense but in the end the Eagles offensive firepower was too much for the Bruins to handle. Three players scored over 20 points for the Eagles as the final score was 96-66.
“We played a great team tonight,” Coach Ring said. “I take nothing away from them. We did some things well tonight, but the credit really goes to them because they really forced us to turn the ball over.”
The Bruins committed 38 turnovers on the night, and will definitely look to take better care of the ball in the coming games. The team was also able to see what it will take to compete at this level as only one player on the Bruin roster has intercollegiate experience.
“Now these guys have a sense of what it is going to take to compete,” Coach Ring said. “We’ll hit it hard again in practice and we’ll need to pick up the intensity.”
The Bruins will take the court again tomorrow in day two of the Tip-Off tournament in Jacksonville. This matchup will be against the Florida College Falcons on Saturday afternoon.
