Box Score
Box Score

The Bob Jones University Bruins basketball team played their first road contest of the 2014-15 season on Tuesday night against the Toccoa Falls College Screaming Eagles. The two teams had met 4 times in the previous two seasons with the Bruins capturing wins in each of those games. The Eagles were hungry for this game as they took the court for their first home game of the 2014-15 season in front of their hometown crowd.

In the opening minutes, both teams struggled to score as the game went about 3 minutes before Toccoa Falls broke the scoreless tie. The Bruins couldn't buy a basket as the team was held scoreless for five minutes of the first half before two free throws by Kyle Turner put the Bruins on the board giving the Eagles an 11-2 lead. 

 

The Bruins slowly began to warm up as Dustin Killough and company began to get hot from beyond the arch. The two teams traded baskets back and forth before a three by Marshall Riddle gave the Bruins their first lead of the day 32-29. As the half came to a close, several bad possessions by the Bruins allowed the Eagles to finish the half strong and take a 38-32 lead into the locker room. 

"We didn't handle the moment well tonight," Coach Ring said. "We got greedy and we relied on the three way too much instead of letting our offense develop. When we aren't making shots, Toccoa is a good enough team to take advantage of that. With our young team, it is going to be a year of playing and growing and getting better."

In the second half, the Eagles soared in the opening minutes by knocking down back to back shots and increasing their lead to double digits 45-34. The Bruins failed to have an answer as their open looks rattled the rim and missed. Kyle Turner tried to muscle the Bruins back into the game, but the Eagles defense stood strong.

The Bruins struggled with turnovers as several costly mistakes allowed the Eagles to continue to build on their lead. In the end, Toccoa Falls proved to be too much for the Bruins as the Screaming Eagles ran away in the 2nd half to finish off the Bruins 79-54.

"It was a horrible job on my part preparing these guys for this game," Coach Ring said. "We got beat by a better team tonight. They executed all facets of their game plan and played a great game. I don't want to take anything away from them. For us, there is no defeat in our locker room just determination. We know we have to get better and we know we have to play with more consistency." 

Kyle Turner led the way for the Bruins 15 points and 12 rebounds for his second straight double-double. Dustin Killough chipped in 16 for the Bruins but the team committed 21 turnovers and shot just 26% in the second half. With the loss, the Bruins move to 1-1 on the season. The team will get back to work in practice this week as they prepare for another road test against Milligan College on Saturday afternoon.