Box Score
The collective sigh of relief could be heard all around the city of Greenville as the Bob Jones University Bruins defeated the Toccoa Falls College Eagles 97-75 to snap a 12-game losing streak on Saturday night.

"We got great play from our guards and our bench tonight," Coach Neal Ring said. "That allowed us to get into an offensive flow and we executed on both ends of the floor. We played hard and played well and our guys were ready to bring what they needed for the win. It was a great team effort that yielded a result that we've all been yearning for for a long time."

 

The Bruins and Eagles met earlier this season in Georgia, with TFC winning handily 79-54. The Bruins were in the midst of a 12-game losing streak as the team was 3-14 on the season. The Eagles entered the game on Saturday night with a 9-10 record and were hoping to steal one away from the Bruins in front of a packed crowd in the Davis Field House.

The Bruins knocked down back to back three's to open the scoring for the game as Kyle Turner and Marshall Riddle provided the early boost. The Eagles came clawing back as the two teams remained close all throughout the half. The Bruins were able to handle the Eagles pressure and executed great ball movement in generating open shots. The team rode the energy and momentum of Marshall Riddle and Corey Turner combined for 24 points in the first half. Riddle was a perfect 4-4 from behind the arc in the 1st half to carry much of the offensive load.

After a 3-point shot by Eagles guard Jon Sauls, TFC took a 35-31 lead with just minutes to play in the half. The Bruins clawed their way back to tie the game with under a minute to play and took a 42-40 lead into halftime after Corey Turner knocked down a last-second shot.

"We liked what was happening," Coach Ring said. "We felt like we could attack and went with a smaller lineup and spread the floor to attack the rim. I challenged the guys to finish the half strong and then we went into the locker room determined to finish the game strong."

In the second half, the Bruins all-around great play continued as the Eagles and Bruins began to make a push for the lead. The Bruins got an added boost from their bench as Noah Smith caught fire with a barrage of three-point shots to fuel a 17-9 run to gain the upper hand. The Eagles refused to quit and continued to try to chip away at the Bruins lead.

The Bruins attacked the rim and were able to get to the line and take advantage in the second half. The team eventually built a double-digit lead and made key baskets down the stretch to stay on top.Bruins captain Ray Holden put the nail in the coffin with an emphatic dunk to give the Bruins a 97-75 victory to snap their 12-game losing streak.

"This feels great," Bruins guard Noah Smith said. "You go back to the locker room and everyone is going crazy and it feels great. We're buying in. We bought in so big tonight and it was evident. We hadn't been scoring and we scored. We played defense and made some steals and didn't turn the ball over as much. We had lost that championship mentality in losing so many games and tonight we got some of that mentality back."

Marshall Riddle led the Bruins with 20 points and 8 assists and was one of 5 players to score in double figures for the team. Noah Smith had 17 points and Corey Turner chipped in 16. Kyle Turner had 15 points and 8 rebounds while Ray Holden finished the night with 13 points. The Bruins outrebounded TFC 34-23 and recorded 29 assists on the night while shooting 47% from behind the arc. The bench proved to be a big boost for the team as they contributed 44 points in the win.

With the victory, the Bruins improve to 4-14 on the season. Next up, the team will welcome Johnson and Wales University on Tuesday night.