Box Score
The BJU Bruins and Warren Wilson Owls squared off in round two of their season-long bout as the two teams took the court on Thursday night in Asheville, NC. The Owls and Bruins met on Tuesday night in Greenville with the Owls getting the upper hand in a 78-69 win. The Bruins showed great resilience in fighting back only to come up short. This time around Coach Ring and company were determined to make the adjustments to come out with a much-needed win on the road.
From the opening tip, the two teams picked up where they left off with both showing great intensity throughout the opening minutes. The game took a physical toll as both teams fought to establish control. Zach Mercado picked up two early fouls causing him to have to sit a majority of the first half. With a starter on the bench, Bruins' guard Evan Brondyke filled the role by going 4-4 from three point range throughout the first half. "Evan was just on fire," Coach Ring said. "We were able to get several good looks and open opportunities for him and he really stepped up for us." The teams went back and when the dust had settled, the Bruins found themselves trailing at the half 35-31.
"We knew it was going to be a physical game," Coach Ring said. "We knew we were going to have to play hard and play good defense."
In the second half, the Bruins stepped up the defensive pressure and didn't allow any three pointers throughout the second half. The Owls had shot 67% in the second half the last time these two teams played and the Bruins knew the defense had to be strong. Darnel Antoine cleaned up the glass for the Bruins with 7 rebounds, but try as they might, the Bruins could not take the lead. Slowly the Owls began to inch their lead higher and higher until they were up by eleven.
After calling a timeout, the Bruins refocused and made a late run to cut into the Owls lead. Down the stretch, the Owls were able to knock down clutch free throws and keep the Bruins from taking the lead. As the final buzzer sounded, the Bruins had been handed their second straight loss by Warren Wilson in a 66-63 defeat.
"Ultimately it came down to their team making a few key plays," Coach Ring said. "We did a lot of things right tonight and I am really proud of our effort."
Evan Brondyke led all scorers for the Bruins with 17 points while shooting 5-8 from the field. Zach Mercado scored 16 points and Darnel Antoine added 12. The Bruins shot 50% from the field while staying even in the rebounding margin 28-28. The team showed much improvement by only committing 9 turnovers throughout the game. The Bruins will have a short time to rest up before they welcome the Piedmont International University Bruins on Friday night.
