Box Score
The Bruins were on the road on Tuesday night as they traveled to Newberry College for a matchup with the Wolves. The Bruins were riding a two-game winning streak with wins over Columbia International and Toccoa Falls. The Wolves compete in the NCAA DII and were 6-1 on the season. The high-powered Wolves had averaged over 90 points per game, and the Bruins knew their defense would have to be tough to keep the Wolves in check.
In the opening minutes, the Bruins and Wolves traded baskets and the lead as the score remained close. The Bruins captured a 15-13 lead after Zach Mercado hit a three pointer early on in the first half. The Bruins lead eventually got up to 5 before the Wolves came storming back with a 7-0 run to regain the lead. The Wolves smelled blood and continued to run the floor and increase their lead as they led 50-38 at the end of the first half.
"Newberry was really good off the drive tonight," Coach Ring said. "They got the ball inside and were able to capitalize on that area. We just couldn't finish the opportunities that we were given."
In the second half, the Bruins looked to make some adjustments to try to get back into the game, but a 5-0 run right out of the gate increased the lead to 17 for the Wolves. The Bruins tried to get back into the game behind Zach Mercado's slick shooting from the outside. Each time the Bruins would score, the Wolves would mount another small run to keep a comfortable lead.
As the half continued, the deficit grew larger as the Wolves began to run away with the game. As the final buzzer sounded, the Bruins had suffered a difficult 97-68 loss.
"They brought a lot of pressure on us and I thought we did an adequate job of handling that," Coach Ring said. "I think that helped us be able to learn how to handle that pressure but overall we just couldn't stop their runs on offense. We are going to get better with this and keep improving."
Zach Mercado led all scorers for the Bruins with 19 points. Larry Taylor scored 10 while only recording 1 assist. The Bruins shot 46% from the field, but their 20 turnovers were costly in giving the Wolves 26 points off of turnovers. With the loss, the Bruins fall to 6-7 on the season. The team will regroup and will face another tough battle on Friday night as they welcome in Emmanuel College to Greenville.
