Box Score
Though a heavy storm shook the Southeast on Friday, the Bruins traveled to Chattanooga on Saturday evening for a matchup with the Tennessee Temple University Crusaders. The Bruins were coming off an 81-67 victory over Hiwassee and were looking to continue their impressive play against Tennessee Temple. The Crusaders were going to be a tough opponent as the team is able to out-rebound opponents with their size.
From the opening tip, the Bruins showed they were able to stick with the Crusaders as the team executed good offensive sets and generated open looks. The team also handled the Crusaders size and didn't allow for many second-chance opportunities. The Bruins were able to battle to a 7-point lead in the middle of the 1st half, before a few bad possessions put the Crusaders back into the game. At the half, the two teams were tied at 28-28.
"Our guys really put forth a tremendous effort out there," Coach Ring said. "We made a few decisions to let them back into the game, but we really played strong against a bigger opponent."
In the 2nd half, the two teams went back and forth trading baskets with neither team able to set the tone. The Bruins stayed in the game by shooting 88% from the line and only committing 7 turnovers on the night. As the game wore on, each basket became that much more important in such a close game. The Crusaders knocked down several key shots to open the lead to 58-51 with just a few minutes remaining.
Despite shooting 1-6 in the 1st half, Bruins' guard Darnel Antoine knocked down back-to-back three-point shots to make the score 57-60 with just seconds to play. The Crusaders calmly sunk several clutch free-throws down the stretch to put the Bruins away 64-59.
"We made them earn it tonight," Coach Ring said. "We just ran out of time. I am really proud of our effort tonight."
The Bruins showed tremendous improvement from previous games in being able to control each possession to generate good shots. The defense also stayed competitive in this game despite being outrebounded 45-29. With the loss, the Bruins fall to 3-16 on the season. Darnel Antoine led the way for the Bruins with 14 points, while Ray Holden contributed 13.
The Bruins will be on the road again next weekend, as the team will travel to Charlotte for a matchup with Johnson and Wales University.
