Box Score
The BJU Bruins have been struggling as of late as the team has lost their last five games. Despite their record, the Bruins laced up their shoes and prepared to battle the Southern Wesleyan University Warriors at the Davis Field House. The Warriors were 3-5 coming into the game on Tuesday night against the Bruins, with their most recent loss coming on Saturday night against William Carey University. '
From the opening tip, the Bruins showed that they were going to put pressure on the ball and play great defense. The Warriors committed five straight turnovers to start the game as Jason McVey and company put tremendous pressure on the ball. "That is something we stressed a lot in practice this week," Bruins' guard Jason McVey said. "We had struggled with that last game and we did better in that tonight."
As the first half wore on, the Warriors began to find their groove especially in the paint as Kenny Joyner and Nikola Lambic banked home several easy buckets on back-door cuts. Despite their bigger size and strength, the Warriors struggled to maintain possession as the Bruins tenacious defense proved to be a struggle for the Warriors. The Bruins rallied from clutch shooting by Jason McVey and Zach Mercado to overtake the Warriors lead. "We know that every zone has gaps," Bruins' guard Zach Mercado said. "When those kick outs were open we were able to knock them down." At the break, the Bruins were up 30-27.
"We were able to pressure the ball and force turnovers," Coach Neal Ring said. "We keep making good adjustments and played really well."
As the second half began, the Warriors came out with a completely different mindset. The team was able to drive the lane and create open back-door opportunities to score. The teams battled back and forth before the Warriors retook the lead. From there, the Warriors went on a 12-0 run to go up 55-42 behind the great shooting by Rochard Gibson. The Warriors continued to get to the free throw line as the team shot 44 free throws on the night while making 32 of them. Despite their efforts, the Bruins were not able to get back into the game as the final buzzer handed the Bruins their 6th straight loss 78-64.
"We did so much well tonight," Coach Neal Ring said. "We will have to work on a few things, but overall I am very proud of the effort tonight."
Jason McVey played an outstanding game with 18 points, 8 assists and 5 steals. Zach Mercado provided 12 points and Ray Holden added 10. The Bruins shot 41% from the field tonight and were able to force 27 turnovers on defense. Next up, the Bruins will host Southern Polytechnic University on Friday night at 5:30.
