Box Score
The Bruins benched shouldered over half of the team's scoring output as BJU defeated The Apprentice School 80-76 on Saturday night in Greenville. "I love games like this because I felt like I could come in and give us a spark," Ray Holden said as he finished with 21 points off the bench. "That is where I was finding my confidence realizing that my brothers needed me. I just focused on playing good defense and letting the game come to me. My guys trusted me tonight in getting me the ball."
 
 

The team came into the game at 3-0 and were coming off a strong victory over Barber-Scotia College on Friday night. The Apprentice School came into the game after winning their opener 69-62 on Friday night over Columbia International University. 

As the game began, the Builders knocked down a pair of three-point shots to help them jump out to an 9-2 lead. The Bruins offense struggled early on as the team only put 5 points on the board throughout the first 7 minutes of play. The team got a spark off the bench as Dustin Killough and Ray Holden entered the game and propelled the team to a 10-0 run to take the lead 17-13. Holden continued to dominate as he scored 15 points in the first half. Still the Builders kept it close by working the ball inside to Zach Johnson for points. 

The Builders worked back to tie the game at 26-26 with just 5 minutes remaining in the first half. The Bruins and Builders traded baskets down the stretch as BJU took a slim 35-34 lead into the break. "Part of the game is about trusting your coaching staff," Coach Ring said. "When you look to you bench and you have guys who can come in and still be better than players on the other team that is a comfort as a coach."  

Marshall Riddle scored back-to-back baskets for the Bruins as the second half began to help increase the lead. Still, the Builders refused to go away as they slowly began to chip away at the lead. With each Bruins run, the Builders would mount a small run of their own to remain within striking distance. With just over 6 minutes to play, the Builders got a basket from Zach Johnson to cut the lead to 70-67. The Bruins responded by continuing to be patient offensively as the team was able to gain trips to the free throw line down the stretch. 

With under a minute to play, William Wilcox knocked down a three-pointer for the Builders to tie the game up at 76-76. After the Bruins missed an opportunity, the Builders came down and just missed a three-point shot for the lead. The Bruins had one last chance as they moved the ball up the court and Kyle Turner was fouled with just 1 second to play. In the emotion of the game, the Builders bench was given a technical foul to give the Bruins four free throw attempts. Dustin Killough calmly sunk the first two shots and Kyle Turner added two more to ice the victory for the Bruins 80-76.

"It was a great game to be part of," Coach Ring said. "That team and that coaching staff should be proud of the way that they battled. They made us better and I believe we made them better. I know they are going to go and have a great season. Going forward, we have to continue to work hard each day and believing in our defensive system. Offensively, this was the first time we had our wings clipped pretty early so I was interested in seeing how we would respond. We have to do the things that we do well and as long as we continue to do that and get the play out of our players than we will be competitive in each game." 

Ray Holden led the Bruins with 21 points while Dustin Killough added 19. Kyle Turner had another double-double on the season with a strong game of 16 points and 15 rebounds. The Bruins have now won 4 straight games to open the 2015-16 season. Next up, the team will welcome the University of North Georgia on Tuesday night.