Box Score
The Bruins were on the road on Friday night as they traveled to Georgia for a battle with Toccoa Falls College. The Bruins and Eagles met earlier in the season, with BJU winning a hard-fought 88-73 game in Greenville. The Bruins have lost two of their last three games, but picked up a big win over Columbia International on Tuesday night. The Eagles entered Friday's game still looking for their first win of the 2013-14 season with a record of 0-6. The Bruins knew they would be in for a tough test against the scrappy Eagles.
From the opening tip, the Eagles rallied off of the home crowd and jumped out to an early 6-0 lead. The Bruins regrouped and went on an 8-0 run of their own to gain the 8-6 advantage. The two teams went back and forth trading baskets and possessions with neither team able to build a sizeable lead. The Bruins got great play from Zach Mercado on the outside, and Kyle Turner controlled the block and midrange game. With less than three minutes to play in the first half, the Bruins built a double-digit 36-25 lead. The Eagles tried to fight back, but the Bruins kept the double digit lead going into halftime 41-31.
"We tried to push the ball a little more tonight which opened things up for us," Coach Ring said. "That allowed us to shoot well and get good looks throughout the half."
In the second half, the Eagles came out strong and looked to claw their way back into the game. Eagles guard Jon Sauls hit a layup to cut the lead to 50-44 with just over 13 minutes remaining. From there, the Bruins executed a few great offensive possessions to gain a double digit lead once again. Despite the team's efforts, the Eagles refused to be put away and continued to battle the Bruins. Eventually the Eagles cut the lead to 61-57 with just over 4 minutes remaining.
The Bruins remained calm and got a clutch three point shot from Zach Mercado to put the Bruins back to a seven point lead. With minutes remaining, the Bruins calmly knocked down their free throw opportunities to keep the lead over the Eagles. The team also played outstanding defense and worked hard to secure rebounds to keep the Eagles at bay. As the final buzzer sounded, the Bruins had won their second straight game with a 80-71 victory over conference opponent Toccoa Falls College.
"They never stopped fighting and they are a tough team," Coach Ring said of Toccoa Falls. "I was really proud of our effort tonight. There were times when they were taking the momentum and our guys really stepped up and held on for the win. We really got a lot of good play from a lot of guys tonight and overall it was a really good win for our program."
Kyle Turner led the way for the Bruins with 22 points and 14 rebounds. Zach Mercado was deadly from the outside as he went 4-7 from three point range and scored 20 points. Jason McVey and Kirtis Yurchak each had 12 and Larry Taylor added 11 and 7 assists. With the win, the Bruins climb back to .500 on the season at 6-6. The team will continue their road trip on Tuesday evening as they travel to Newberry College for a match against the Wolves.
