Box Score
When the BJU Bruins took the court against the Lincoln Memorial University Railsplitters, the team knew they were in for a tough matchup. The Railsplitters are members of the NCAA DII, and coach Josh Schertz has built a solid program which is ranked #18 overall. The Railsplitters came into the game at 1-0, having just begun their regular season. The Bruins entered the game at 1-6 after recording their first win on Tuesday night against Toccoa Falls.

From the opening tip, the Railsplitters showed their dominance in size and speed as the team was able to make great ball movement to create open space. The Bruins were not able to get anything going offensively and struggled in securing rebounds as the Railsplitters outrebounded the Bruins 47-28 in the game. As the 1st half continued, the lead began to grow more and more. Lincoln Memorial's Lorenza Ross picked apart the Bruins defense with excellent passing as well as shooting 70% from the floor. At the half, the Bruins were down 39-23.

"This is a very good program," Coach Ring said. "We knew this was going to be a tough challenge and we really pushed our guys to win the small categories and not worry about the score."

In the second half, the Railsplitters continued their impressive shooting as the team shot 50% from the floor and 56% from behind-the-arc. With the game all but decided, the Bruins began to execute smart offensive setups and still were able to improve on several areas throughout the game. Most notably, the Bruins cut down significantly on their turnovers as the team committed 16 throughout the entire game. The team was facing a bigger, stronger and vastly more experienced opponent, but still showed great improvement in controlling the ball and generating good looks. The final buzzer sounded giving the Bruins their 7th loss in their last eight games in a 95-58 score. 

"We did some good things tonight," Coach Ring said. "Improvement is what we look for each game."

The team suffered more than a loss as forward Caleb Owen had to leave the game with a fractured nose and head injury. Owen was taken to a nearby hospital for further evaluation. Ray Holden led the way for the Bruins with 14 points and 5 boards while Evan Brondyke had 13 points including two three-pointers. The team will have little time to rest as the squad will travel to face Hiwassee College on Saturday.