Box Score
The Bruins welcomed cross-state rival Columbia International University on Tuesday night to Greenville. The Bruins and Rams had met earlier in the season with the Bruins gaining the win in a 93-86 double overtime thriller. The Bruins have played back to back tough opponents as they were handed losses by USC Upstate and Lincoln Memorial University. The Rams were 3-5 on the season, with their most recent game a loss to Berry College. The Bruins were looking to keep their unbeaten record at home as the Bruin faithful packed the Davis Field House for this game.
As the game began, the forecast for the evening was certain: the Bruins would be raining three's. The team shot 70% in the first half as Zach Mercado and Jason McVey provided a great scoring boost to help the Bruins gain the advantage. The team played great on the defensive side and did a great job securing rebounds and forcing the Rams to take tough shots. "We had the mentality of not taking one second off," Bruins forward Kirtis Yurchak said. "We were just fighting and scrapping for every ball."
The Bruins seemingly could not miss in the first half as Larry Taylor sliced up the Rams defense with 9 assists as the team stretched their lead to double digits. "It just comes down to my teammates," Taylor said. "We're fortunate to have some great shooters on our team. I don't get assists if they don't knock down shots so credit goes to them. "At the half, the Bruins had a comfortable 45-25 lead.
"We had a better plan for how to guard their shooters in this game," Coach Ring said. "Defensively we did a great job and that fed us to be able to shoot well on the offensive end."
In the second half, the Bruins continued to stretch their lead behind great shooting on the offensive end. The team was able to work through their progressions and find open players for shots on the basket. On defense, the Bruins limited the Rams to shooting just 37% from the field throughout the course of the game. When the dust finally settled, the Bruins remained unbeaten at home with a big 81-58 win.
"We're able to get into a rhythm when we play at home," Coach Ring said. "We're just excited to be able to win games in front of our home crowd. I was really proud of this effort tonight. We beat this team on the road and we were able to beat them again on our home court."
Zach Mercado led the way for the Bruins with 17 points while shooting 5-9 from three-point range. Jason McVey added 13 for the Bruins and Larry Taylor scored 14 while dishing out 13 assists. With the win, the Bruins improve to 5-6 on the season. The Bruins will face a tough conference road test coming up on Friday night as they travel to play Toccoa Falls College.
