Box Score
The Bruins were on the road on Monday night as they made their ESPN debut in battling the Spartans of USC Upstate. The Spartans compete in the NCAA DI and were 3-3 on the season entering the game with the Bruins. The Spartans have won two of their last three with their most recent victory coming over Western Carolina. The Bruins have been riding a two-game winning streak with victories over Columbia International University and Thomas University. The team knew they would be in for a tough matchup as they faced the bigger and stronger Spartans at the Hodge Center in Spartanburg. 

From the opening tip, the big stage nerves caught up to the Bruins as USC jumped out to a 12-2 lead. The Bruins were getting beat on the boards and really struggled shooting in the opening minutes of the game. The Spartans had their own struggles as the team was playing in their fourth game in the last five nights. The Spartans used their size and strength to gain second-chance points and increase the lead. The Bruins clawed their way back into the game with a 5-0 run to cut the deficit to 15-7. From there, the Spartans didn't look back as they dominated the paint. Kyle Turner accounted for half of the Bruins first half points as the team went into the locker room down 38-22. 

"We tried to do a lot on our own tonight and not as a team," Coach Ring said. "We felt like we had played well enough to keep it from being a blowout. We wanted to make sure they earned what they got." 

In the second half, the Bruins looked to make adjustment to try to get back into the game. Zach Mercado knocked down a three to start the half for the Bruins to cut the lead to 15. From there, the Spartans never looked back as Ty Greene and company shot 51% from the floor and increased the lead. The Bruins showed flashes of offensive brilliance, but never were able to establish a consistent scoring run. The Bruins gave up 25 rebounds on the offensive glass and were not able to contain Jodd Maxey who had 14 rebounds on the night for the Spartans. The final buzzer handed the Bruins a 94-67 loss to snap their two-game winning streak.   

"I am proud of our guys tonight," Coach Ring said. "Several guys stepped up and played really well. We all came out of this one seeing that we made good steps forward. We got a chance to play against some really great players and that helps us get better." 

Kyle Turner led the way for the Bruins with 18 points and 5 rebounds. Larry Taylor added another double-double to his season total with 13 points, 10 assists and five rebounds. Zach Mercado also chipped in 13. The story of the game was rebounding as the Spartans outrebounded BJU 56-28 in the game and had 32 second-chance points. With the loss, the Bruins fall to 4-5 on the season. The team will have a short holiday break off before traveling this weekend for another tough road matchup as they face the Lincoln Memorial Railsplitters.