Box Score
The Owls and Bruins took to the court on Tuesday night in front of the Bruin faithful at the Davis Field House. Warren Wilson College came into the game on fire after winning their previous four games. Their most recent victory came in a 100-84 win over Virginia Intermont College on Monday night. The Bruins knew they were going to be in for a tough test, as 1st year coach Greg Neeley's squad looked poised and ready for the game.
As the game tipped off, the Bruins and Owls went back and forth in the opening minutes with both teams struggling to score. While shots were going up, few were made as the teams opened the game slow. The Bruins did an excellent job of containing the Owls shooters and limiting second chance opportunities. Josh Clater and company battled hard in the paint to keep the game close. "We knew we had a big responsibility on the boards and in the paint tonight," Clater said. "I felt overall we were able to box out and play well in limiting their opportunities." Throughout the rest of the first half, the Owls slowly began to assert more control and extend their lead. The Bruins showed great resilience and continued to fight back. At the half, the Bruins trailed the Owls 21-27.
"Our goal was to contest their three's in the first half and I thought we did a good job of that," Coach Ring said. "We felt pretty good about what we were doing."
In the second half, the Owls began to heat up and knock down shots. The Bruins responded with improved shooting of their own as Darnel Antoine and Ray Holden Jr. made baskets. Bruins' forward Josh Clater played stellar basketball in the second half scoring 18 points and grabbing 5 rebounds in the 2nd half. The Bruins fought back and eventually tied the game at 48-48. From there the Owls knocked down several shots from behind the arc as the team shot 67% in the 2nd half.
Each time the Bruins made a small run to cut into the lead, the Owls would respond with baskets. "Sometimes a team just shoots the ball really well," Coach Ring said. "You have to give credit to them for executing a great game tonight. They have a lot to play for and they showed a lot of poise against us tonight." With the game winding down, the Bruins made several costly turnovers down the stretch to keep the game out of reach. As the final buzzer sounded, the Bruins found themselves on the losing end of a 78-69 game.
"We were in this game and could have won," Coach Ring said. "We made some mistakes down the stretch but we are continuing to learn and improve."
Josh Clater led the Bruins with 20 points, while three other players scored in double figures for the Bruins. The team shot an impressive 65% from the field in the second half while scoring 48 second half points. The Bruins will get a chance at revenge as the team will face Warren Wilson college again on Thursday night in Asheville.
