Box Score
The North Greenville University Crusaders jumped out to an early lead, and never looked back in a 99-71 win over the Bruins on Thursday night. "I was pleased with how we finished, but not so pleased in how we started tonight," Coach Ring said. "They really beat us in transition tonight and we didn't do a good job of answering that."

 

The Bruins and Crusaders were meeting for the first time in program history as the two Upstate South Carolina teams took the court at Hayes Gymnasium. The Bruins entered the game on Thursday night with a 3-9 record having lost their past seven games. The Crusaders were 4-2 entering the game on a three-game winning streak. 

From the opening tip, the Crusaders played an up-tempo style of play which caught the Bruins off guard as NGU ran the floor for a 24-3 lead. After a timeout, the Bruins took their adjustments and began to slowly chip away at the Crusaders lead. NGU rallied behind the combo play of Korval McElroy and Spencer Reaves as the two combined to shoot 8 of 9 for 13 points apiece in the 1st half. Bruins guard Noah Smith tried to help the Bruins climb back into the game with four first-half three pointers, but the Bruins knew they had a lot of ground to make up as they went into the locker room trailing 56-29 at the half. 

Defensively we just didn't get up and down the floor," Coach Ring said. "We struggled to stick with them and knock down our shots." 

In the second half, the Bruins tried to climb their way back into the game as Marshall Riddle sliced through the Crusaders lane for points. The team used a 10-0 run in the middle of the half to try to climb back into the game, but the deficit was just too large to overcome. The Crusaders were able to keep the charging Bruins at bay as they finished the night with their 4th straight win in a 99-71 victory over BJU. 

"We did some good things tonight in attacking the basket and getting open shots," Coach Ring said. "Now we'll need to just keep working hard and learn from what we did well and improve on that."

Marshall Riddle led the Bruins with 25 points while Dustin Killough added 14. Noah Smith finished the night with 13 points. The Bruins struggled in keeping possession as the team committed 26 turnovers on the night which translated into 33 points for the Crusaders. With the loss, the Bruins drop their 8th in a row and are 3-10 on the season. The team will wrap up the first semester of play on Saturday afternoon as they host conference-opponent Emmanuel College at 3 p.m.