Box Score
The BJU Bruins were on the road on Friday night as they traveled to Charlotte, NC for a game against the Johnson and Wales University Wildcats. The Bruins were coming off a tough loss to Tennessee Temple last weekend and were looking to rebound against Johnson and Wales. The two teams met at the beginning of December in Greenville with the Wildcats getting the win against the Bruins in a 71-57 win. The Wildcats were riding a 7-game losing streak and were looking to get back on track against the Bruins.
From the opening tip, the fans knew this was going to be a tough and physical game with both teams going back and forth exchanging baskets and hard fouls throughout the opening minutes. The Bruins got great shooting from Evan Brondyke who caught fire from beyond the arc to keep the Bruins offense clicking. The Bruins were able to drive the lane and get baskets while forcing the Wildcats to send them to the line a lot. "That was a big difference for us tonight," Coach Ring said. "We were able to get to the line which kept us in the game." With the first half coming to a close, the Bruins were trailing 28-29 when the Wildcats went on a tear, scoring several baskets within a matter of seconds to make the score 36-28 at the half.
"We told our guys in the locker room that we had played 19:30 of great basketball," Coach Ring said. "That last 30 seconds hurt us with some mental mistakes and we really challenged our guys to come out strong in the second half."
The Bruins responded by coming out and committing three straight turnovers to start the second half. Eventually the team got back into a rhythm and continued to feed Evan Brondyke with open looks. Brondyke shot 4-5 from 3-point range throughout the game and really was a source of frustration for the Wildcat defense. The Bruins battled back to tie the game and the two teams locked in for an exciting finish. Back and forth the two teams went trading baskets and dreams of a win. The Bruins knocked down several shots down the stretch and were able to get to the line thirty-two times throughout the game. When the final buzzer sounded, the Bruins had captured a big road win in a 69-65 victory.
"It was a team win tonight," Coach Ring said. "A lot of guys contributed to this win, and I am proud of the way our guys stepped up for this win."
Evan Brondyke led the Bruins with 21 points while Zach Mercado added 12 and Darnel Antoine scored 14. The team shot 50% for the game and 56% from 3-point range.
With the win, the Bruins move to 4-16 on the year and will have a short weekend of rest before welcoming in Warren Wilson College on Tuesday night.
