Box Score
It was the "battle of the Bruins" on Friday night in Greenville as the Bob Jones University Bruins welcomed the Piedmont International University Bruins. BJU entered the game with an 11-13 record and were coming off a well-played 72-65 win over Southern Wesleyan University on Tuesday night. Piedmont has struggled during the 2013-14 season and came into the game with a 4-15 record, including a three-game losing streak. These two teams met last year with each team gaining a victory on their home floor. The battle for "Bruins" bragging rights was on the line as the two teams took the court in the Davis Field House. 

BJU came out strong in the opening minutes behind slick shooting from Zach Mercado en route to an 11-0 run. The Bruins defense also stood strong holding Piedmont scoreless in the first five minutes of play. "A lot of the credit goes to our guards," Zach Mercado said. "They drive with their eyes up and are able to find me in the right spots. It always helps when you knock down the first one and get into a rhythm." 

The tag team duo of Darnel Antoine and Larry Taylor were able to assert dominance on the Piedmont defense by penetrating the lane to get to the line or find teammates for open looks. The Bruins continued to hold their double-digit lead while playing suffocating defense. As the buzzer sounded, the BJU Bruins had a 39-25 lead at the break.

"We wanted to make sure we didn't give them open looks," Coach Ring said. "We wanted to guard them and not let them get to the basket. We recently have switched to a four-guard lineup and the guys are buying into the system. We get some good energy from our starters which helps us get into a rhythm." 

In the second half, Piedmont came out strong and scored five baskets on their first five possessions to cut into the Bruins lead. Kyle Turner led the Bruins with 10 second half points while shooting 3-4 from the field and 4-5 from the line. "Probably more than anyone I am assist-dependent," Bruins' forward Kyle Turner said. "When our guards are driving through the lane I just look for an open spot and I know they are going to find me and they have the confidence I am going to hit the shot." 

At the midway point of the half, the Bruins stretched their lead to double-digits and never looked back as the defense remained strong and forced Piedmont to take tough shots. The Bruins were able to record 21 assists while scoring 29 baskets en route to a 81-61 win over Piedmont. 

"We preach to the guys the importance of making the defense guard multiple players," Coach Ring. "Really proud of our of our effort and hope we can keep going forward with the defensive intensity and the offensive ability to share the ball."

Zach Mercado led the Bruins with 20 points and 4 assists. Kyle Turner score 18 points and recorded 6 rebounds. Larry Taylor was the last Bruin in double figures with 15 points and 6 assists. With the win, the Bruins move to 12-13 on the season and will have the weekend off before welcoming Johnson and Wales University on Tuesday night.