Box Score It was a tale of two halves as the Bruins caught fire in the 2nd half to defeat Crown College 88-69 on Saturday afternoon. "Overall it was a good first day for us," Coach Ring said. "Consistency is not a strong point for us right now but we have a lot of new players so that is to be expected for it being our first game." The Bruins won both of their preseason games and were looking strong as they took the court in front of the Bruin faithful at the Davis Field House. The team finished 16-15 last season. Their opponent for their opening game would be the Crown College Royal Crusaders who were entering their third game of the season.
Ray Holden scored 16 points and was one
of 5 players who scored in double figures
for the Bruins. In the opening minutes, the Bruins and Royal Crusaders exchanged baskets and the lead with both trying to establish momentum. The Bruins showed excellent ball movement on the offensive end as they were able to move the ball around for open looks. Despite their chances, the shots wouldn't fall as the team started 0-6 from behind the three point line.
Both teams battled in the paint for points as the Royal Crusaders fed the ball to Luke Dalton who gave the Bruins a tough matchup all night en route to 17 points on the night. The Bruins were able to battle back through the play of Ray Holden as the Bruins captain attacked the rim to get to the line.
The Bruins built a lead before the half, but had three straight scoreless possessions to close out the half with a slim 29-25 lead.
"I wasn't really impressed with our defense," Coach Ring said. "We were playing too flat footed. We preach fill in the gaps and our guys are still not buying into that all the way but once we get there we'll be ok."
In the second half, the Bruins came out on fire as the team went 8-9 from behind the arc to start the half and run away from Crown College. The Bruins moved the ball seamlessly through the Royal Crusader defense and took advantage of each of their opportunities. The team built a lead up to 21 points but Crown College came roaring back as Josh Farmer captained the offense to chip away at the Bruins lead.
In the closing minutes, the Bruins used a couple of key baskets from Kyle Turner and Marshall Riddle to keep the lead. The team was also able to knock down free throws when it mattered to ice the victory 88-69.
"I like our potential," Coach Ring said. "We're going to watch this film and improve on what we did well and learn from what we did wrong. We are in 100% teach mode right now. Each game for us is all about who is going to play well and step up. We just have to put it all together."
The Bruins had five players score in double figures. Kyle Turner led the Bruins with 19 points while Ray Holden chipped in 16. The Bruins played well as a team and spread the ball around to score. With the win, the team moves to 1-0 on the season. Next up, the Bruins will face their first road test as they travel to Toccoa Falls College on Tuesday night.
