Box Score
In front of a rowdy crowd at Williamson Basketball Arena, the BJU Bruins were set for a matchup with the national champion runner-up from 2011, the Emmanuel College Lions. The Lions are one of the more established programs in the NCCAA and 6th year coach TJ Rosene who has led his Lions to a 3-0 start to the 2012 season. The Bruins came into the game at 0-4 and were looking to rebound after suffering several tough losses to open their inaugural season.
From the opening tip, the Bruins and Lions went back and forth exchanging baskets and good offensive possessions. The Bruins showed drastic improvement from previous games as Zach Mercado was able to help orchestrate the Bruin offense for several great looks and easy baskets. The Bruin ball movement allowed for open shots and Evan Brondyke capitalized on every opportunity as he knocked down 3 three-pointers throughout the first half. Caleb Owen and Josh Clater battled hard on the block and were able to keep the Lions out of the paint. As the first half was nearing its end, the Bruins cut the deficit to one point. After that, the Lions used several defensive stops and offensive schemes to stretch their lead to 37-31 at the break.
“We played very aggressive tonight which was good to see,” Coach Ring said. “That aggression allowed us to go to the line a lot which helped us.”
As the second half began, the Bruins began to struggle with forcing shots and turning the ball over. Playing against a veteran team like Emmanuel, the Lions made the Bruins pay for their mistakes as the lead began to grow. Throughout the second half, the Bruins made several runs but were not able to cut into the large lead of the Lions. Adrian Justice led the way for the Lions as he was able to knock down several three-pointers and finish several nice drives through the lane. He finished the night with 15 points. The Bruins tried their best to cut into the lead and the team seemed to play with fire and aggression despite playing from behind. The Bruins’ full court pressure forced the Lions into several turnovers in the final minutes. In the end, it wasn’t enough as the Lions defeated the Bruins 79-64.
“I am proud of our effort tonight” Coach Ring said. “These guys showed a lot of heart as they never gave up throughout the whole game. We keep making steps in improvement and that's our goal is just to get better game by game.”
Evan Brondyke led all scorers for the Bruins with 20 points, including shooting 9-10 from the line. The team still struggled in turning the ball over with 22 turnovers and yet they were able to force 16 turnovers on the Lions. With the loss, the Bruins move to 0-5 on the season. The team made several great strides tonight, and the team will continue to work hard as the season progresses. Next up, the Bruins will travel to Wise, Virginia for a matchup with the University of Virginia College on Friday night.
