Box Score
The stands were decked in red as the Bruin faithful showed their support the American Heart Association. Little did these fans know that they were about to witness a rollercoaster game that would test even the healthiest blood pressure levels. The Bruins welcomed the Piedmont International University Bruins on Friday night. The Bruins were coming off back to back close losses to Warren Wilson, and the team was looking to get back on track. It was a battle for Bruin bragging rights as both teams were out to prove who was worthy to be called "Bruin."
From the opening tip, Piedmont and BJU knew the game would be close because of the evenly-matched talent from both teams. The Bruins jumped out to an early 16-8 lead behind good shooting from Zach Mercado and Darnel Antoine. Piedmont responded with a 16-4 run to jump ahead of the Bruins 24-20. After Coach Ring called a timeout, the Bruins refocused and began to work their offense to get in rhythm. The guards penetrated the lane and created open opportunities for back-door cuts and open outside shots. "When you make two guys guard you that creates opportunities," Bruins' guard Darnel Antoine said. "It allows the defense to collapse and gives open looks." With less than a minute to play in the first half, the Bruins scored 8 unanswered points to take a 38-29 lead into the half.
"We've been having a conscious effort to attack the basket to get points," Coach Ring said. "That really created opportunities for us to get to the line and get good looks."
In the second half, the Bruins came out strong and continued to increase their lead. Piedmont began to make a run to cut into the Bruins lead and eventually drew the game to 55-52 late in the second half. Piedmont continued to ride the big play of guard Javon Summers, who scored 21 points on the night. Eventually the Bruins found themselves down 62-58. With both teams exchanging shots down the stretch, the Bruins were facing adversity when guard Evan Brondyke fouled out of the game with less than two minutes to play. "As a team we know we're deep enough to cover each other," Bruins' forward Josh Clater said. "We truly are a team and we knew we needed to step up with Evan out."
With less than a minute to play, the Bruins were down by four points and the game seemed all but lost as Piedmont continued to knock down clutch free throws. On the next Bruin possession, Zach Mercado swished a three point shot to put the Bruins down by one. After Javon Summers knocked down two more free throws, the Bruins had time for one last shot. Darnel Antoine received the ball and dribbled towards the corner and left it off for Zach Mercado. Mercado then took two dribbles and released a three point shot well beyond the three point line. The ball swished through the net with 5 seconds remaining to tie the game 71-71. The Den exploded as Zach Mercado had taken the Bruins to overtime.
At the start of overtime, the Bruins got several key buckets from Darnel Antoine and one big three pointer from Forward Jordan Corriveau to keep the game close. At the midway point of the overtime period, Piedmont's guard Javon Summers fouled out. Despite his absence, Piedmont hit several inside shots to gain a slim lead over the Bruins. With less than 20 seconds to play, the Bruins again found themselves in the same situation as in regulation. The team was down 84-83. Everyone in the gym knew where the ball was going and sure enough Zach Mercado received a kick out pass from Darnel Antoine which briefly opened the lane. Mercado drove in and stepped back for a fade away jumper which rattled around the rim and fell in. The fans in the Davis Field House went crazy as the team had gained an 85-84 lead. "I knew Darnel was going to get around them," Mercado said. "I took a step back and when I released it knew it was going to go in. It just felt good in rhythm." After making a big defensive stop the Bruins knocked down 1-2 free throws to go up 86-84. Piedmont wasn't able to get a last second shot off, and the Bruin fans rushed the court to mob their team after a thrilling 86-84 win.
"The crowd was outstanding tonight," Coach Ring said. "We have some great fans and it was great to see our students get excited like that. We play off that energy and feed off of it."
Zach Mercado led the way for the Bruins with 28 points while Josh Clater added 19 and Darnel Antoine added 18. The Bruins shot 46% from the field and showed their confidence in overtime by shooting 67%.
"It's a shame a team had to lose tonight," Coach Ring said. "Both teams played extremely well and put forth a great effort. I was just a great college basketball game."
With the win, the Bruins move to 5-18 on the year and will look to ride the momentum as they welcome Appalachian Bible College on Tuesday night.
