On Monday night, the Bruins team had their best practice of the season. Despite suffering six straight losses to open their inaugural season, the Bruins knew that someday their hard work would pay off with a win. Each practice, sweat would pour as the men sought to keep improving. The team is smaller and more inexperienced than most of their opponents, but these Bruins seek to outwork every team they play.
The team traveled to Toccoa Falls, Georgia on Tuesday night for a road test against the Toccoa Falls College Eagles. Coach Ring's men have played all of their games on the road so far this season. The Eagles have had an impressive start as the team is 2-1 on the year. The Eagles most recent victory came in a 97-65 blowout over Johnson University, while the Bruins were coming off a 90-50 loss to the University of Virginia College at Wise.
As the game began, the Bruins started slow and it looked like this would just be another long night for the Bruins. The Eagles jumped out to an early 18-10 lead as the team hit four straight three-pointers. Coach Ring called a timeout and rallied his guys to play better. "We challenged them to work hard," Coach Ring said. "We were shorthanded tonight and we needed guys to step up." The Bruins were playing without starting forward Josh Clater, who injured his ankle in practice.
The Bruins responded by beginning to work the ball and generate good looks. Evan Brondyke was solid from behind the three-point line as he knocked down four three-pointers. The Bruins also stepped up the defensive pressure and were able to generate a lot of tunrovers to get them back into the game. The team also cut down on their turnovers significantly from previous games. At the half, the Bruins had taken the lead 37-32.
"Our guys were determined to work hard," Coach Ring said. "They had worked hard in practice leading up to this, and they took that energy on the court."
In the second half, the Bruins maintained their lead by playing stellar defense and forcing 19 turnovers. Despite playing without Josh Clater, the Bruins small lineup fought hard for every rebound. The more the game wore on, the realization became very apparent that the Bruins were nearing their first win. The final buzzer sounded, and the Bruins had recorded their first win in school history 82-72.
"This is a first win, and no one can change that," Coach Ring said. "I told these guys how special it is to be part of the first win for our program. We're proud of this win, but we'll get back to work tomorrow in practice."
Zach Mercado led all scorers with 19 while Evan Brondyke added 17. The Bruins shot 58% from the floor and held the Eagles to 9-28 shooting in the second half. The team will relish in this win, but will prepare for their game against Lincoln Memorial University on Friday night.
